
Glass f f A55 \ 



Book 






Copyright^ . 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



A STUDY 



IN THE 



Etymology of the Indian 
Place Name 

MISSISQUOI 



BY 

GEORGE McALEER, M.D 

Honorary Member of the Missisquoi 
Historical Society 



<& 



THE BLANCHARD PRESS 

Worcester, Mass. 

1906 






LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Cooies Received 

JUN 9 1906 

'rirht Entry 

^.XXc. No. 
COPY B, 




Copyright, 1906 

By George McAleer 

Worcester, Mass. 



DEDICATION 



TO A KIND FATHER WHOM PERSECUTION 

DROVE FROM HIS NATIVE LAND TO FIND AN EARLY GRAVE, 

WORN OUT WITH TOIL AND HARDSHIPS IN THE 

WILDERNESS; TO A LOVING AND DEVOTED MOTHER, 

WHO, LEFT WITH THE BURDEN OF A LARGE FAMILY, EVER 

STROVE BRAVELY ON, WHOM NO TRIAL DAUNTED 

NOR VICISSITUDE DISCOURAGED ; TO THE SISTER AND BROTHERS 

WITH WHOM THE CARES AND JOYS OF THE SPRINGTIME 

OF LD7E WERE SHARED; TO FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, TRIED 

AND TRUE — PEOPLE FROM MANY CLIMES WHOM A 

COMMON LOT AND A COMMON DESTINY MADE TOLERANT AND 

MUTUALLY HELPFUL — MOST OF WHOM WERE THE 

HARDY AND ADVENTUROUS PIONEERS OR THEIR 

IMMEDIATE DESCENDANTS, MANY OF WHOM 

NOW SLEEP THE LAST SLEEP LN THE SOIL OF THE 

COUNTY THAT THEY RECLAIMED FROM THE PRIMEVAL 

FOREST BY THEIR ENTERPRISE, INDOMITABLE 

ENERGY AND PERSEVERANCE, THE 

ETYMOLOGY OF THE NAME OF WHICH, MISSISQUOI, 

IT HAS BEEN THE WRITER'S EFFORTS TO ELUCIDATE,— 

THIS STUDY IS DEDICATED. 

The Author. 



MISSISQUOI 




"LANGUAGE is 
a solemn thing; it 
- grows out of life, — out 
of its agonies and ecsta- 
sies, its wants and weariness. 
Every language is a temple in 
which the soul of those who speak is enshrined." 

So wrote the author of "The Autocrat at the Break- 
fast Table," one of the great lights in American lit- 
erature, and applied to the American Indian — the 
Amerind of modern anthropologists — the beauty of 
sentiment and diction embodied therein have added 
significance and value because of their literal truth 
and pathos. 

As a people they perished before the cupidity, 
oppression and injustice of the British colonists, even 
as perish travellers in the mephitic atmosphere of the 
simoons of the desert; and the names that grew out 
of their lives alone remain as enduring monuments to 
tell coming generations of their prehistoric presence 
here and ownership of the soil. 

No resurgent day will ever dawn to bring them into 
their own again, and niggardly indeed would be the 



6 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

pen that would deny them their proper place in his- 
tory, although it be envenomed and darkened by the 
curtain of so-called civilization, and the narrative sad- 
dened by their sufferings or distorted by malice. 

As they were a nomadic people and principally con- 
cerned in procuring sustenance and clothing for the 
body, many of these names, as might be expected, indi- 
cated where fish and game abounded; their different 
species and varieties ; the characteristics of mountains, 
lakes and rivers ; and some had onomatopoeic and other 
origin. 

Even these, like the people who bestowed them and 
to whom they meant so much, have not escaped the 
iconoclastic frenzy of those who drove them from their 
homes and lands and who extinguished the fires of their 
wigwams forever. Meaningless names of some worth- 
less son of royalty or degraded nobility, of some human 
butcher clothed with military authority, of some un- 
principled vampire in official station, and of con- 
scienceless scoundrels in other walks of life, have been 
substituted for the aboriginal names of great euphony, 
significance and appropriateness. 

It is not to be expected that a people having no fixed 
place of abode, and composed of numerous tribes 
having different languages and dialects, but without 
written rules or fixed laws, would always have the 
same name for the same place or thing when many 
names would be equally appropriate. This may be 
easily illustrated by supposing a forest-covered hill or 
mountain beside a lake that abounds in fish, the shore 



Etymology op Missisquoi. 7 

of which is composed of cliffs and boulders, and into 
which a river flows a few miles away, along the shores 
and at the mouth of which are extensive marshes — a not 
inapt description of the country in the vicinity of Phil- 
ipsburg, on the shore of Missisquoi Bay, in the County 
of Missisquoi, Province of Quebec, and of that portion of 
Vermont through which the Missisquoi River flows, 
before the coming of the pale-face. 

The water-ways being then the highways of travel, 
and fish and game being in abundance thereabouts, it 
is fair to presume that this portion of the country must 
have been a place of very general resort. To one 
tribe it might have been known as ' ' the great hunting 
place," because of the abundance of deer, moose, bear 
and other game in the forests ; to another as the " great 
fishing place,' ' — "big fishing place," — because of the 
abundance of fish in the lake ; to another as a place of 
"much water-fowl," — as records prove their abun- 
dance in these waters before the country was settled; 
to another as "the place of the big or great marsh or 
marshes, ' ' — ' ' much miry place, ' ' — ' ' the place of mach 
grass or willows ; " to another as a place of many and 
big rocks and boulders ; and others may have bestowed 
names founded upon some fancied resemblance discov- 
ered in the shore line of the lake, in the topography of 
the country, or in the contour of some rocky bluff, as is 
distinctly traced in "The Old Man of the Mountain" 
in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. 

These various explanations are given to show how 
the same place might have been differently named by 



8 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

different tribes who may have visited this locality 
when on the war-path, in the pursuit of food or adven- 
ture, or in their periodical migrations; and while all 
the names may have differed, all would clearly 
describe some recognizable feature of the place which 
renders any one or all of them appropriate and in har- 
mony with aboriginal custom. 

That such was the fact will not seem improbable 
when I enter more fully upon the discussion of my 
investigations and efforts to discover the etymology 
of the name of the river in northern Vermont, and the 
bay and county in the Province of Quebec now spelled 
Missisquoi, but which has undergone many changes in 
orthography. Authorities also differ as to the deriv- 
ation and signification of the word, as will more fully 
appear. 

Having been born and reared in Missisquoi County, 
I was interested in this subject from my earliest recol- 
lection, and during the years of my school-life I sought 
in vain to learn when my native county was estab- 
lished, who established it, who named it, why it was 
so named, from whence came the name, what it sig- 
nifies, etc. As the teachers did not know nor seemingly 
care, and as there was no library that I could consult, 
nor publications available to supply this light unto 
my path, I had to submit in this, as in many other 
things, with such grace as I could command, to the 
oft-repeated rebuff: "What good is it!" — another 
form of the cui bono of the avowed utilitarian — as if 
the pursuit of material things alone was the only end 
of existence. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 9 

Judging from my more recent experiences along 
these same lines, I am reluctantly forced to believe 
that this culpable indifference and inertia, that depress 
and repel, still continue, not only in the more humble 
walks in rural life, but also among too many of those 
seated in high places in the intellectual and educa- 
tional offices of the Provincial Government, where they 
are supposed to render information to seekers thereof, 
and for which they are rewarded with fat salaries. 

Taking leave of the old homestead and the land of 
my nativity on reaching man's estate, I journeyed to 
the land of the stranger, but now the stranger no 
longer, where for more years than span a generation 
I have since made my home ; but ever and anon, in the 
hurry and bustle of a fairly active life, my mind uncon- 
sciously and unbidden harks back to the old hearth- 
stone and to the living memories of the long ago. 

And now comes the information that the people of 
Missisquoi County are arousing themselves from the 
sleep of a century, that an Historical Society has been 
organized to gather up and treasure the little that has 
not been already swept into the lethal stream of obliv- 
ion, coupled with the request to prepare a paper on the 
very subject which proved such a stumbling-block to 
me in the days of my youth. 

Being only too glad to lend a helping hand in this 
good work, I cheerfully acquiesced, and while the 
results are not all that I could wish, they are submitted 
to my colleagues in the society and interested readers 
in the hope that they may stimulate others to engage 
in the task and prosecute it to more successful issue. 



10 Etymology op Missisquoi. 

I lay no claims to ethnological or philological lore, 
or to having made my investigations along original 
lines. I have but followed in the pathway blazed by 
others, and the data and information thus obtained I 
have supplemented with the pronouncements of the 
highest living authorities whom I consulted; and to 
all who have rendered valuable aid I acknowledge my 
indebtedness and gratitude. 

Failing in my efforts to establish positively the ety- 
mology of the Indian place name Missisquoi, and find- 
ing the authorities of the past and present in such 
seemingly hopeless opposition as to render an agree- 
ment improbable, if not impossible, I deemed it best, 
at the risk of the charge of prolixity and tediousness, 
to record in detail the various steps taken, the meth- 
ods pursued, and the results obtained, that my readers 
may know the scope of my work and the authorities 
consulted, should any of them feel inclined to continue 
the quest. 

At the outset, I visited the archives of the American 
Antiquarian Society, a society which was organized 
more than one hundred years ago, whose extensive 
library and collection of Americana is located in the 
city of Worcester, Massachusetts, and which is known 
to the scholars and savants of the world to be without 
a rival, where I was privileged to examine the prized 
Indian dictionaries and grammars so industriously 
compiled and arranged by the sainted Eoman Catholic 
missionaries of the long ago, when Christianity and 
civilization prompted, and not the cruel injustice, 
oppression and extermination of later times. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 11 

Here I also consulted the monumental works of 
Bishop Baraga, Eliot, Trumbull, and others deeply 
learned in ethnology and philology, particularly in 
the American Indian and the Indian languages and 
their many dialects. 

Starting with the prefix Misi as the qualifying adjec- 
tive, which, as a part of the name of a river, our old 
geographies informed us meant much, great, or big, 
which explanation was confirmed by the authorities 
consulted, I added the radical, or root word, squois, 
making Misisquois, and then sought the meaning 
thereof. The terminal of the names of many of the 
Indian tribes ois and quois (Illin-ois, Abena-quois, 
Souro-quois, Iro-quois) led me to think that ois, quois 
or squois was the proper ending or terminal of Missis- 
quois, and this prompted investigation along these 
lines. 

As I advanced in my work, I found that ois, quois 
and squois were of French origin, and were used to 
soften the Indian terminal ooh or wok, — thus Illinois 
is pronounced by the Ojibways (Chippewas anglicized, 
and Octipwe modernized) Illinook, and by the 
Algonquins Illinwok — the terminal meaning men, peo- 
ple, — but this root word being of too modern origin 
could not be accepted, and must, therefore, be barred 
out. 

Pushing my investigations further along other lines, 
I found Bishop Baraga and others authority for the 
statement that Missisquoi is of Cree origin, — Misi, 
great, big, much, — and ihwew, iskew, isquaw or isk- 



12 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

waw, all being equivalent, and all meaning woman, and 
that, therefore, Missisquoi means " great, big, much, 
or many women. ' ' Here, at last, thought I, is my quest 
rewarded; here, at last, is the etymology of the word 
authoritatively determined. 

I next sought for an explanation for the bestowal of 
this name upon the river in northern Vermont that 
flows across the State from east to west and disem- 
bogues into Lake Champlain, near the boundary line 
between the United States and Canada, and upon that 
portion of the lake that extends into Canada and known 
as Missisquoi Bay, believing that the country there- 
abouts was so well known by this name when the 
county was surveyed and established that its bestowal 
thereon was but a natural consequence. 

No authority that I consulted furnished any expla- 
nation, and, thrown upon my own resources, I then 
endeavored to recall, but without avail, some conforma- 
tion of the bluffs, or outline of shore or water, that 
would suggest the female form and justify the name. 
Next it occurred to me that the name might mean much 
or many women— a place where the warriors, when 
going away for a long time on their annual hunts, on 
predatory expeditions, or on warfare, might have 
assembled their squaws and left them, as in a place 
of safety, until their return. But this, being contrary 
to Indian custom, had to be abandoned also. 

Whether there ever existed some woman of large 
proportions or transcendent ability to justify the 
name of "big" or " great" woman; whether any Joan 



Etymology op Missisquoi. 13 

of Arc ever successfully led her admiring and valiant 
warriors against a cruel and blood-thirsty foe ; whether 
any Diana ever ranged the woods and led in the chase ; 
whether any dusky Venus, fair and frail, played a 
leading part in a conquest of love; or perchance in a 
tragedy that caused rivers of blood to flow, and so 
bequeathed the name to coming generations, — it is now 
perhaps idle to consider, and the quest may well be 
abandoned to future investigation or individual con- 
jecture. 

This search for information quickly taught me that 
I had something more to do than to consult lexicons, — 
that I had to deal with numerous complexities and 
problems that required patient investigation along 
many and diverse lines, which to be prized at their 
real value must be thoroughly investigated, compared 
and contrasted. 

No obstacle has deterred nor has expense been 
spared to obtain exhaustive and accurate information. 
Following along these lines the work has extended 
and expanded beyond all my expectations at the 
outset. 

A little later, it occurred to me that while the Indi- 
ans were doubtless of the same origin racially, they 
were not linguistically kindred, and that the language 
and dialects of the different tribes of Indians varied 
very much. As the Crees were very remote from the 
tribes occupying the territory of northern New Eng- 
land and the eastern part of Canada, and as their lan- 
guage was very different from the language of the 



14 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

latter tribes, I became credulous as to the etymology of 
the word as given by Bishop Baraga, and sought con- 
firmation or denial at the seat of government in Que- 
bec and Ottawa. 

Although inclosing postage and offering to make 
compensation for the service rendered, I received no 
information, much less the courtesy of a reply, from 
officials who occupy distinguished positions in the 
intellectual and educational departments of the gov- 
ernment in Quebec, which may aid in explaining why 
many things are as they are in this Province, and why 
so many of her sons seek more congenial surround- 
ings and methods elsewhere. 

From Ottawa came promptly ihe following reply to 
my inquiry : 

Dominion of Canada. 
Statistical Bkanch, Department of Agriculture. 

Ottawa, April 9, 1904. 
George McAleer, M.D., 

Worcester, Mass., U.S.A. 
Dear Sir: In re yours of the 28th instant, I beg to 
give you the following notes : 

Missisquoi, — from Mishi, big ; Ishkew, woman, — big 
woman, in Cree language. 

3)(c gp vfc. :jp :jp gp yfe 

Yours very truly, 

George Johnson, 
Statistician. 

This explanation is clear, explicit, unqualified, and 
in harmony with that given by the good Bishop. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 15 

Here apparently was 

' ' Confirmation strong 
As proof of Holy Writ. ' ' 

And yet I was not entirely satisfied. Knowing the 
great interest taken by the people of all portions of 
the United States in everything pertaining to their 
early history, and their very complete records, I next 
had recourse to the archives of the State of Vermont. 
In Thompson's History of Vermont, Burlington, 1842, 
Part III, it is recorded of the name " Missisquoi, ' ' in 
note at the bottom of page 117 : 

This name is doubtless derived from the Indians, 
but there is not perfect agreement with regard to its 
signification. Some consider it as coming from Mse, 
signifying much, and miskeco, grass, — abounding in 
grass ; and others from Missi, much, and kisco, water- 
fowl. Both these names are descriptive, as there are 
here extensive tracts of wild grass, and both the bay 
and lower part of the river are favorite resorts of 
water-fowl. The name is usually pronounced Missisco, 
and my reason for spelling it Missisco, besides its near 
conformity to the original, is the unsettled orthography 
of the word, which may be seen by the following spell- 
ings, all of which are copied from printed books or 
periodicals : 

Missis co, Missis que, Missis kay, 

Missis coe, Missis qui, Missis ki, 

Missis coui, Missis quei, Missis koui, 

Mich is coui, Missis quoi, Missis kow, 

Michis couie, Michis qui, Missis koy, 

Missis qua, Masis ka, Missis koue." 
Missis quay, 



16 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

During my subsequent investigations and researches 
I encountered many others, some of which are: Mes- 
sesco, Missesco, Michiscouy, Missiskuos, Missiskoug, 
Missishoug, Missickoui, Missichoiu, Messescoui, Mis- 
siscouie, Miskouaha, Michikoui. 

And in Part I, page 6, of the same work, occurs the 
following: "There is a considerable tract of swampy 
land at the south end of Memphremagog Lake, and 
another in Highgate, about the mouth of Missisco 
Ewer." 

This seems to lend color to, if it does not prove the 
correctness of the etymology of the word, as given 
above, and that it signifies "a place of much grass," 
* ' a miry place, ' ' " a marsh, ' ' however much at variance 
this may be with that given by Bishop Baraga and 
other authorities. 

The variations in the spelling of the name need 
excite no surprise. What wonder if the untutored 
savages did not agree in their intonation, accentua- 
tion, or in their pronunciation of words! Having no 
written language excepting a very limited ideography 
and pictography, nearly everything depended upon the 
phonetic. They were a people without a literature, and 
therefore without fixed or accepted forms and laws of 
speech ; and, being dependent upon the ear, the uttered 
sound was their chief dependence for communicating 
with each other. 

Those who have travelled much at home or abroad, 
where language and pronunciation are based upon 
definite rules, realize how varied are the intonation and 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 17 

speech in different parts of the same country, — so 
much so as to render it difficult for strangers to under- 
stand each other at first, — and how great would be the 
task to clearly render, by any combination of letters, 
the sounds of the uttered words as they fell upon the 
ears of the hearer. How much greater and more diffi- 
cult the task can be readily imagined when the lan- 
guage is not understood by the hearer, when the modi- 
fications in speech of different tribes in different parts 
of the country are considered, and the many variations 
in the sound that different individuals in the same 
tribe would give to the same word. 

An unlettered people, whether from the same or dif- 
ferent parts of the country, would not be likely to utter 
the same word, especially if of onomatopoeic origin, as 
were many of their words, so as to fall upon the ears 
of the listener exactly alike; and probably most of 
them would vary so much that a careful individual 
would not use the same combination of letters to 
express the sound, and therefore the correct meaning 
of the word. How much greater would be the diverg- 
ence when these different sounds fell upon different 
ears, — cultivated and unlettered alike, — and especially 
when people of different nationalities, the letters of 
whose languages had different tonal values, attempted 
to bind these differing sounds in a rigid frame-work 
of letters and words to be transmitted to coming gen- 
erations. 

Judged by this standard, little difficulty will be found 
in the varied spellings of Missisquoi, especially when 



18 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

they produce substantially the same sound, — a fact 
which seems to prove their common origin and 
meaning. 

Confronted with these different etymologies of the 
word, as given by different authorities, only intensi- 
fied my interest in the subject, and prompted me to 
push my investigations further, — to establish, if possi- 
ble, the correct origin and signification of the word. 

Continuing my researches, I addressed an inquiry 
to Eev. Matthew Henry Buckham, D.D., LL. D., pres- 
ident of the University of Vermont, who for a time 
resided in the village of Bedford, Missisquoi County, 
P. Q., Canada, some fifty years ago, and received the 
following reply : 

Burlington, Vermont, Nov. 20, 1899. 

Dr. George McAleer, 

Worcester, Mass. 
Dear Sir: President Buckham has sent to me your 
inquiry of the 16th ult. The name Missisquoi, Mes- 
sisco, etc. (nineteen spellings are given in Thompson's 
Gazetteer of Vermont) is by some thought to be from 
Indian Mse (much) and Mskeco (grass) — abounding in 
grass. Others regard it as from Mis si (much) and 
Kisco (water-fowl). The lower portions of the river 
are a favorite resort of the wild duck, etc. But the 
other derivation may be correct, as the extensive 
marshes here are covered with wild grass. I prefer 
the former, partly because the Lamoille Eiver is said 
to have been named (French) La Mouette (the gull), 
from the great numbers of these birds seen near the 
mouth of this stream. As the engraver of the map 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 19 

did not cross his t's, La Mouette became Lamouelle 
and then Lamoille. 

You can consult Thompson's Gazetteer of Vermont, 
1842, under Lamoille and Missisquoi. In the very ear- 
liest maps no name is given to the Missisquoi. 

Yours very truly, 

J. E. Goodkich. 

This letter from Professor Goodrich only confirmed 
my earlier investigations and prompted further 
efforts. 

As the State of New York borders upon the western 
shore of Lake Champlain, I next had recourse to the 
archives of the State, to the Documentary History of 
New York, Albany, 1850, and especially to 'Callaghan ? s 
monumental work, "Documents Kelating to the Co- 
lonial History of the State of New York/' Albany, 
1856—. 

"While I found nothing therein bearing directly on 
the object of my quest, I discovered several items 
relating to the place and its inhabitants, which as they 
will doubtless possess interest for the people now liv- 
ing in the same section of country to which this name 
is applied, and as they are amongst the earliest 
recorded references to these parts that I have found, 
and, especially, as they are not easily accessible, I 
deemed it best to insert them here. 

In Vol. X, page 546, it is recorded in the report made 
by Chevalier de Levis to M. de Paulmy : i ' Paul Louis 
Dazemard, Sieur de Lusignan, son of Captain de 
Lusignan, was born in Canada in 1691, and in 1722 



20 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

was an ensign in a company of the troops of the 
Marine. In 1733 he commanded at the Eiver Saint 
Joseph, in Illinois in 1735, whence he returned to 
Canada in 1739. He commanded at Isle Aux Noix in 
1759, and in 1760 at St. John." 

In Vol. X, page 102, is given in the "Journal of 
Occurrences in Canada, 1746, 1747,' ' among other 
things relating to other times and places : ' ' The 
Mohawks struck another blow at the same time at the 
Little Eapid, a league below Chambly, where they 
have killed a child, and taken two men, women and 
four children. 

"Lieutenant de Vassant, commanding a guard at St. 
Therese, immediately sent a detachment to the Eiver 
Aux Sables to intersect (intercept?) the passage of 
the enemy; but I returned without having discovered 
any trail ; this led to the suspicion that the enemy are 
encamped above Chateaugiie. M. de Beaucourt, in 
consequence, detached Lieutenant St. Pierre with 
eighty voyagers and citizens by the Cascades to Lake 
St. Francis, so as to surprise them, and return by 
Chateaugiie. Eight Abenakis of Missiskuog have 
followed this officer ; word has been sent to those of the 
Lake to go and meet him at the Cedars; it was not 
thought proper to invite the Iroquois of the Saut, as 
'twas feared at Montreal that they are treacherous 
and favor the Mohawks in their incursions on our 
settlements; they are even suspected of giving the 
enemy notice when we are in pursuit of them by firing 
three shots when the detachments are approaching 
their camps." 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 21 

Tecanancoassin, Chief of the Indians of the Sault 
St. Louis, on his return to Montreal from Orange, 
Oct. 19, 1744, reported to M. de Beaucours, as recorded 
in Vol. IX, page 1110, in the "Abstract of the differ- 
ent movements at Montreal, on occasion of the war, 
from the month of December, 1745, to the month of 
August, 1746," that "An Abenakis of Missiskuoi had 
seen in the Grand Marais* of the Little Falls, three 
Indians who had been sent from Orange to examine 
whether any persons were hunting, as should he not 
discover any, it would be a proof that all the natives 
would be under arms to wage war against them; that 
the Abenaki told them to go themselves and find those 
who were hunting, which induced them to return. ' ' 

And in Vol. X, page 32, in the report of the doings 
during the same period it is recorded: "A party of 
twenty Abenakis of Missiskoug, set out towards Bos- 
ton and brought in some prisoners and scalps;" and 
at another time, on page 33 of the same volume, "A 
party of eight Abenakis of Missiskoug has been fitted 
out who have been in the direction of Corlard (Cor- 
laer?) and have returned with some prisoners and 
scalps;" and again on the same page, another item, 
"A party of Abenakis of Missiskoug struck a blow 
near Orange and Corlard, and brought in some prison- 
ers and scalps." 

These, among many other similar expeditions, com- 
plete the report for the time specified. Many of the 



*Now called the Twelve-Mile Marsh, which extends from Whitehall 
north, half way to Ticonderoga. 



22 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

expeditions "struck a blow towards Boston," — the 
others upon the settlements along the eastern border 
of the State of New York. 

The report of Governor H. Moore to the Earl of 
Shelbourne appears in Vol. VII, page 875, in part as 
follows : 

Fort George, New York, Nov. 8, 1766. 
I have now the honor to inform your Lordship that 
the line of Division between this Province and Quebec 
is fixed in the Eiver Sorrell about two miles and a 
half below Windmill Point,* so that no part of Lake 
Champlain is included in the Province of Quebec 
except a small portion of Missicoui Bay; whilst we 
were employed in this service, many French gentle- 
men from Quebec came to us at Windmill Point and 
demanded from me a confirmation of those Grants 
which had been made to them from the French Crown 
which not only extend along Lake Champlain and 
cover both sides of it but reach beyond the carrying 
place at Ticonderoga. 

Since the Peace very large tracts on both sides of 
the Lake have been granted by Lieutenant Governor 
Colden to the reduced officers and disbanded soldiers 
in consequence of his Majesty's Proclamation, and the 
French claims now made have caused no small uneasi- 
ness to the Possessors of these Lands, who, having laid 
out all their substance in making settlements, are 
under the greatest distress at the thoughts of being 
dispossessed, as such a proceeding would be followed 
by inevitable ruin to them and their families. 



*In 1731 a windmill was built in Alburgh at a place then called 
Pointe aux Algonquians, and since known as Windmill Point. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 23 

In the Appendix of Thompson's Gazetteer of Ver- 
mont, 1853, Part 3, page 100, it is recorded of the 
River Lamoille : " It is not qnite so large as the Winoo- 
ski and Missisco. It is said to have been discovered 
by Champlain in 1609 and called by him La Mouette, 
the French for mew or gull, a species of water-fowl 
which were very numerous about the mouth of the 
stream. In Charlevoix's map of the discoveries of 
North America, published in 1774, it is called la riviere 
a la Mouelle, probably a mistake of the engraver in not 
crossing the t's. Thus, to the mere carelessness of a 
French engraver, we are indebted for the smooth, 
melodious sounding name, Lamoille. ' ' 

And in the same volume, page 117, we read: "Mis- 
sisco Bay is a large area of Lake Champlain, which 
extends into Canada between Swanton and Highgate 
on the east, and Alburgh on the west, on Canada line, 
is about five miles, and it extends four or five miles 
into Canada. This bay covers an area of about thirty- 
five square miles." 

"Missisco River rises in Lowell, and pursuing a 
northeasterly course through a part of Westfield and 
Troy, crosses the north line of the State into Potton in 
Canada, where it receives a large stream from the 
northeast, — and falls into Missisco Bay near Canada 
line. Length, about 75 miles, and it drains about 582 
square miles in Vermont. ' ' 

In reference to the various names by which Lake 
Champlain has been known, it is recorded in the Ver- 
mont Historical Gazetteer by Hemenway, Vol. I: 



24 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

"The Abenakees called the Lake ' P e-ton-bonque^ that 
is, ' The waters which lie between, ' viz. : them and the 
Iroquois, and by others Patawabouke, which signifies 
an alternation of water and earth. The Iroquois 
called it l Cania-deri-guarunte,'* that is, 'The lake that 
is the gate or door of the country.' The Dutch and 
English called it Corlder, after a Dutchman from 
Schenectady who went down the lake in 1665, and was 
drowned near Fort Cassin. ' ' 

"A tract of land six leagues in length, along the 
Missisquoi River and Lake Champlain, by three 
leagues in width from north to south was granted by 
Grallisoniere, Governor, and Bigot, Intendant, to Sieur 
Laressene in 1748, and ratified by the King in 1749. ' ' 

"Foucault Seigniory on Chambly River, from 
boundary line to Seigniory of Noyan, two leagues 
along river and lake to Missisquoi Bay, was granted in 
1733." 

In Vol. IX, page 887, the habits and customs of the 
Algonquians are described at length, and among these 
it is recorded: "Four or five young men sing and 
beat time with the drum and sisiquoi, f and the women 
keep time and do not lose a step ; it is very entertain- 
ing, and lasts almost the entire night." And "they 
lodge partly under Apaquois, which are made of mat 



*From Kanyatare, the Mohawk word for lake, and Kanhoharonde, a 
door. 

fPronounced seseequah, a rattle generally made from a gourd. The 
Missisquoi River contains numerous water-falls of very considerable 
height, the sound of which may have reminded the aborigines of the 
sound of their sisiquois, and prompted the bestowal of that name upon 
the river. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 25 

grass." In a note at the bottom of the page the fol- 
lowing explanation is given: "Apaquois — matting 
made from flag or rushes — from Apee, a leaf, and 
Wigquoiam, a hut." 

Joining the radical or terminal quois to the qualify- 
ing adjective Misis completes the name Misisquois, 
and, with the explanation given of quois, seems to con- 
firm the explanation of the word as given in the Gazet- 
teer of Vermont as a place of "much grass," i. e., cat- 
tail flag (Typha latifolia) and bullrushes (Scirpus 
lacustris) — "a miry place," a bog or marsh. 

In White's "Early History of New England," Con- 
cord, N. H., 1841, considerable space is devoted to the 
various incursions of the Abenaquis Indians into New 
England, their depredations and captives. On page 
167 is recorded their attack on Vernon, in the State of 
Vermont, in 1755, and the experiences of some of their 
prisoners in captivity. Among these taken to Canada 
were a Mrs. Howe and several of her children — one an 
infant in her arms. After relating their toils, depri- 
vations and hardships before reaching Montreal, the 
narrative continues : ' ' Speedily after, the Indians 
commenced their winter hunting." Mrs. Howe was 
then ordered to return her child to the captors. The 
babe clung to her bosom, and she was obliged to force 
it away. She continues : ' ' They carried it to a place 
called 'Messiskow,' on the borders of the river Mis- 
siscoui, near the north end of Lake Champlain, upon 
the eastern shore." 

The place here called "Messiskow," to which these 



26 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

captives were taken, was doubtless Swanton Falls, 
where a very considerable number of these Indians 
lived for many years, and where they erected a stone 
church, in the belfry of which was the first bell that 
ever summoned people to the house of worship in Ver- 
mont. The Jesuit fathers here, as in Canada, brought 
Christianity to the children of the forest and minis- 
tered to their spiritual wants and were the last to 
abandon this church and settlement at the close of the 
American Kevolution. 

The present village of Troy, in the northern 
part of the State of Vermont, was long a place of 
rendezvous for the Abenaquis Indians, and from earli- 
est times it was known by the name of Missisquoi until 
A. D. 1803, when a frenzy for changing aboriginal 
to classic names became epidemic throughout the 
country, and it was changed to the name it now bears 
after the ancient city of Troy. 

Finding such radically different meanings given to 
the word Missisquoi in the records of the past, I 
decided to consult the leading authorities of the 
present time on the Indian language and dialects. 

I then addressed an inquiry to the well-known Algon- 
quian scholar, William Wallace Tooker, author of the 
"Algonquian Series," comprising ten volumes relat- 
ing to the language, antiquities and history of the 
Algonquians of the United States and Canada, asking 
him for an explanation of the origin and signification 
of the word Missisquoi. 

Under date of Jan. 16, 1905, he wrote as follows : 






CARTE DU LAC 
CHAMPLAIN 



avec les Rivieres, depuis le Fort de Chambly 
dans la Nouvelle France, jusques a Orange 
de la Nouvelle Angleterre, dresse sur divers 
memoires. — (Circa 1731.) 



Original now in the archives of the "Min- 
istere de la Marine et des Colonies," Paris. 




Reproduced in part expressly 
for the 

ETYMOLOGY OF 
MISSISQUOI 

By George McAleer, M.D. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 27 

On the Name Missisquoi. 

Dr. Geokge McAleer, 

Worcester, Mass. 

Dear Sir: After the English forces from Fort 
Richmond, under Captain Johnson Harmon, attacked 
the Abnaki Indians of Maine, at Norridgewock on the 
Kennebec River, Ang. 12, 1724, burnt their fort and 
village, and slew Rev. Father Rasles, the French mis- 
sionary there, the survivors migrated west to the head 
of Lake Champlain, then under control of the French 
Colonists of Canada. Sieur Auger, the King's sur- 
veyor, made a draft of this section for the French in 
1732, whereon he locates the " River Michiscouy, ' ' in 
the State of Vermont, then in the Seigniory of de Beau- 
vois. In the grant of 1733, to Lafontaine, the adjoin- 
ing waters are called "Bay of Missiskouy. ' ' In 1746 
is mentioned the Abenaki of Missiskoui. In the oper- 
ations of the French in New England and New York 
in 1746, we find in the record that "twenty Abenakis 
of Missiskoui set out toward Boston and brought in 
some prisoners and scalps." In the English records 
of 1767 a petition was filed for lands "to be laid out 
on the south of Missickoui Bay." Again in 1770, a 
grant was made for "2000 acres of land in the bay of 
Missichoiu on the east side of Lake Champlain." On 
Sauthier's map of 1779 is laid down the "Bay," 
"River" and "Island of Missiskoui." On the island 
are marked the words "Indian Castle," which may 
indicate, possibly, where the Abenakis lived. 

On the same map, round about the bay, are indicated 
several extensive marshes or swamps, with the largest 
one at the head of the bay. It was to these swamps 
or marshes I believe the name was originally applied, 
and from thence transferred by the French and Eng- 



28 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

lish to the bay and river without regard for its signif- 
icance, as was often the case with Indian names. 

The persistence of the form shows this derivation to 
be quite evident. Therefore, I translate the name as 
a ' ' great miry place, " " great muddy place. ' ' 

Miss-iskouy — Abenaki mach-esh-dk, Del. Mach-as- 
sisco, Mass. mis si-ass quo -ay eu, — great, miry place/ ' 
The termination oui is the French form, and fre- 
quently occurs in Indian names in the French nota- 
tion. V . n 

Yours very truly, 

William Wallace Tookee. 

To this I made answer that I was very familiar with 
the Maine wilderness, that I had many times followed 
the old Indian trails through the woods and over 
mountains from that State into Canada and back again, 
that I had been over the route from Norridgewock by 
way of the Dead River over the "height of land," 
which is the summit of the Boundary Mountains, thence 
by Lake Megantic and the Chaudiere River to Quebec, 
the route travelled by the missionaries of the olden 
time, by Benedict Arnold and his detachment of Con- 
tinental soldiers to attack Quebec, and by the Indians 
from earliest times in their periodical migrations ; and 
that as they, like others, operated along the line of least 
resistance, they would be much more likely to reach 
Lake Champlain by this route and the St. Lawrence, 
Richelieu, St. Francis or other rivers, than by jour- 
neying through dense and almost impenetrable forests 
and over mountains, morasses and lakes to reach the 
head waters of the river Missisquoi, following which 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 29 

in their canoes to its month wonld bring them to Lake 
Champlain. 

I also mentioned the fact that in the science of Ich- 
thyology, there is a variety of the species Salmo 
known as Sisco, Siscowet (prononnced Siscoway), and 
inquired if this, in conjunction with the adjectival 
prefix Missi, as indicating a place of mnch fish, might 
not be the origin of the word, and if so would it not 
prove the key to its meaning. I also informed him 
that there was no marsh — "much miry place" — along 
the shores of the bay, but that it was coarse gravel, 
boulders and rocks, which would seem to indicate that 
the name with this meaning, as given, was a misfit. 

To this I received the following reply : 

Sag Harbor, N. Y., Jan. 21, 1905. 
George McAleer, M. D. 

My dear Sir: Yours of the 19th came to hand in 
due season, and contents duly noted. You evidently 
know more about the topography of the Maine wilder- 
ness and Lake Champlain than I do. It must have 
been very interesting to travel over those old trails 
and roads, when the historical events connected with 
them are carried in one's mind. 

Now as to Missisquoi, I still adhere to my transla- 
tion, for the name belonged to a "great miry place," 
somewhere thereabout, and perhaps to some part of 
the river, as that stream first bears the name in the 
records of the white man. Sauthier's map (Docu- 
mentary History of New York, Vol. I) shows swamps 
at the head of the bay. 



30 Etymology of Missisquol 

Now the Indians were very literal in the use of 
words, and the nse of misi or wiichi, meaning great, 
large, extensive, was not permitted in the sense of 
plenty as in your translation. While it could be used 
to denote a " great fish," or a " great water-fowl," it 
must not apply to a place. To denote a great fishing 
place another term would be used. Sometimes the 
prefix denotes the species of the fish taken. Again I 
do not know sisco, or siscowet, as a generic term for 
fish. In all place names in which the name for fish 
occurs as a terminal or prefix, it is namees. This is 
the generic name without designating the species, and 
when the species is named the terminal indicates a 
"fishing place," or "where fish are plenty." I can 
give several other reasons why your translation is not 
acceptable. The same name occurs on Long Island, 
applied to a marsh, as "Assasquog," which, as you 
will notice, does not have the prefix, or else has lost 
it, but M' assasquog cognates Missisquoi. 

The only other possible etymology is Miss-askgu- 
og, "the great grass place," or a place "where the 
great rushes grow." 

Both names were applied to swamps or marshes 
where rushes or reeds were got for making baskets. 
Here on Long Island we have the name Manoivtasquot, 
i. e., "a place of the basket rush," — Manowt, "a bas- 
ket." 

Yours very truly, 

William Wallace Tooker. 

To this I made reply, when I took opportunity to 
mention the etymology of the word as given by Bishop 
Baraga and others, coupled with suggestions and 
inquiries, to which I received the following reply: 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 31 

Sag Harbor, N. Y., Jan. 30, 1905. 

Dear Dr. McAleer: Your long letter and pamphlets 
were very interesting. 

I suppose you are familiar with the accounts of the 
fight at Narantsouak from French sources in the 
Colonial History of New York, Vol. IX, as there is 
much about the Abenakis in that volume. They could 
reach Canada in a few days (page 940). They were 
at Missisquoi in 1725 (page 939). They were there 
in 1736 (page 1052). One hundred and fifty went to 
Canada in 1725 in a deplorable condition (page 938). 
After the fight one hundred and fifty got together 
(Charlevoix, Vol. V, page 279, Shea's Edition). This 
is my authority. 

In regard to Missisquoi, this termination is a plural 
form. *8benakis, Abenaquis, Abenaquois are simply 
the English and French plural terminations. Sben- 
ivaben, "the East," — aki, "land." So with Abena- 
quis or Abenaquois, "the East landers," the people 
of the East. The Abenaki at the place Missiskoui 
might be called by the French the Missisquois. This 
is all there is to that. 

"Big Squaw" is foolish. 

The earliest form of the name is that on a map of 
1731 (Col. Hist. N. Y., Vol. IX, p. 1022), when it is 
applied to the river in northern Vermont now known 
by this name. 

It never belonged to the bay into which the river 
empties. It described most probably some portion of 
the river, and possibly the grassy valley through 
which the river flows. The word could be translated 



*The character 8 is pronounced nearly the same as the French ui. 
In old Abenaquis it represented consonantal w, — w' followed by the 
short vowel and u — producing a sound midway between out and waw. 
— Author. 



32 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

the great valley or place of great grass. Are you 
familiar with the river? The earliest form is Michis- 
couy. The word for grass and marsh is so near alike 
that it is almost impossible to distinguish between 
them. 

Your etymologies are all contrary to Algonquian 
nomenclature, and are all unacceptable from my stand- 
point, and are unlikely from the savages' standpoint. 

You must get your mind off of the bay and put it 
on the river, where it was bestowed in 1731, 1732, 1733, 
etc. Can you give an earlier date? There is a place 
called Missisquoi Valley, through which a railroad 
runs. Was this a grassy valley? 
Yours very truly, 

William Wallace Tookee. 

Seeking further information for or against the 
various explanations given, I next addressed an 
inquiry to the well-known Indian scholar, William 
Jones, of the American Museum of Natural History 
in the city of New York, to which I received the fol- 
lowing reply: 

77th Steeet and Eighth Avenue, 
New Yoek, Feb. 8, 1905. 
De. Geoege McAleee, 

Woecestee, Mass. 
My dear Sir: I have your letter asking for the ety- 
mology and meaning of the Indian word Missisquoi, 
or Missisco. My work in Algonquian has been con- 
fined to dialects of the Great Lake region, and I can- 
not locate the word from that place. 

At any rate Misi looks as if it might be the same as 
an initial stem Mes, Mis or Mch> which conveys ideas 



Etymology op Missisquoi. 33 

like big, large, whole, total. I cannot offer anything 
definite for the rest of the word. It is difficult to 
render an Algonqnian word as it stands alone without 
showing the situation in which it is used. 

I regret not being able to be any further help. If 
the word happened to have belonged to a New Eng- 
land Algonqnian dialect, you might be able to run it 
down by using Trumbull's Natick Dictionary. The 
volume was published by the Bureau of Ethnology at 
Washington. Furthermore, Professor Prince of 
Columbia University might be of help. He has done 
a good deal of work with New England Algonquian 

dialects. v , , 

Yours very truly, 

William Jones. 

Acting upon the suggestion of Mr. Jones, I wrote 
the following letter to Professor Prince : 

Worcester, Feb. 15, 1905. 

Prof. J. Dyneley Prince, 

Columbia University, 

New York, N. Y. 

Bear Sir: I am very anxious to learn the origin and 
signification of the Indian word Missisquoi, or Mis- 
sesco as formerly spelled, a name given to a river in 
the northern part of Vermont, and later to that por- 
tion of Lake Champlain which extends into Canada 
and known as Missisquoi Bay. 

Authorities of the past on the Indian language and 
dialects, as well as Indian scholars now living who 
hold prominent government stations at Ottawa, On- 
tario, under the Government of the Dominion of Can- 
ada, agree that the word is of Cree origin, and is com- 



34 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

posed of Misi, much, great, big, many, and ikew- 
ishew — isquew, iskwaw, women. 

This etymology does not commend itself to me, not 
being in harmony with Indian custom, besides being 
far-fetched, — forcing a word of Cree origin upon the 
language of the Abenaquis, a more eastern and dis- 
tant people who had at least a different dialect if not 
a different language, and who would doubtless use a 
different word from that used by the Crees to express 
the same meaning. 

Some New England authorities, probably basing 
their information upon the explanation given by 
earlier writers who may have been mistaken, claim 
that the name signifies a bog, a marsh, a miry place, a 
place of much reeds or grass, and the like, but as such 
places were abundant elsewhere in the territory inhab- 
ited by the eastern Indians, and as it was the common 
practice of the Indians to give the same name to like 
conditions wherever found without reference to the 
number of times it was bestowed, and as this name 
does not occur elsewhere, it would seem to be too 
radical a departure from their usual custom to be 
accepted on less than very conclusive evidence. 

Moreover, there are no extensive marshes along the 
shore of Missisquoi Bay, and as such morasses were 
called Muskegs and Pokelokens by the Algonquian 
Indians, this meaning given to the word would also 
seem mal-apropos. 

The river Missisquoi in early times was famous for 
the large quantities of trout and other edible fish taken 
from its waters, and may not the aboriginal name 
cisco or siscoei (pronounced siscoway), at the present 
time limited to a variety of the Salmo family, and now 
found elsewhere, then have had a broader and more 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 35 

comprehensive signification! Or may not the variety 
of trout, to which this name is now restricted, then 
have abounded in these waters and since have been 
exterminated? 

Certain it is that the radical sisco or siscowet joined 
to the qualifying adjective Misi, making Missisco or 
Missiscoway, constitutes the phonetic word, and would 
more probably be the true origin of the word, and also 
in harmony with the usual custom of the Indians when 
bestowing place names, viz. : a much, great, or big fish- 
ing place, a place where fish abound. This latter 
explanation I have never seen hinted at, but as it 
seems more in harmony with aboriginal methods, and 
as the other explanations seem vague if not improb- 
able guesses, made in early times and handed down 
from generation to generation by subsequent writers, 
I venture to offer the suggestion for your considera- 
tion as one deeply schooled in the language and dia- 
lects of the Abenaki. 

Craving your indulgence for this trespass upon 
your valuable time, and soliciting your criticism and 
comments upon the subject matter of this letter, and 
thanking you in advance for your consideration and 
the courtesy of a reply, I am 

Yours most respectfully, 

GrEOEGE McAlEER. 

To this I received the following reply: 

15 Lexington Ave., 
New York, N. T., Feb. 20, 1905. 
Dear Dr. McAleer: I have read your letter relating 
to the name Missisquoi, a river in the northern part of 
Vermont, and after taking several days to let it sink 



36 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

in, I have come to the following conclusions, which I 
submit to you herewith : 

First, you are undoubtedly right in rejecting the 
translation "big woman," and chiefly for the reason 
that the element iskwa, or shwa, is purely a finale in 
modern Abenaki, and would not be used to denote 
"woman" with an adjective. The Abenaki call a big 
woman Jcchi pehanen always. The adjectival element 
misi is, however, never used independently, but always 
connected with what follows : thus, Misisibo could 
mean big river and misi-iskiua might mean "big 
woman," only NOT in Abenaki. 

Of course you are right in your Sprachgefuhl in 
saying that this is contrary to Indian customs. So we 
eliminate that supposition. 

Secondly, I do not believe the name has anything to 
do with trout, the word for which in Abenaki, so far 
as I know the dialect, is not sisco, but sho tarn, "red 
trout;" and namagw, generally used of "grey trout;" 
c. f. msanamagw, "salmon," i. e., "big trout." 

Now there is a form Mishquskou given as meaning 
"trout" in Trumbull's Natick Dictionary, but this is 
far away from our form, and I cannot establish it else- 
where. Big red trout would be in Abenaki msi-sho- 
tam, which is too far away for us. 

I believe that the form Missesco is from Abenaki 
msa-skog and means "big snake." The form Missis- 
quoi, with ending uoi, suggested to me at once msi-sisi- 
hwa, "big rattlesnake." Sisikwa (pronounced see- 
seekwah) means "rattler" and never anything else. 
It is quite possible that the territory, or part of it, 
through which the Missisquoi Eiver ran, was at one 
time infested with snakes or rattlesnakes. If it is 
marshy, as you suggest in one part of your letter, this 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 37 

is all the more likely. I regard Missisquoi and Mis- 
sesco as two distinct forms. 

It is extremely difficult to judge of the meaning of 
modernized Indian names in white man's form. 
This you know, of course. I will give you a most 
amusing example. Dr. Seward Webb has named his 
place in the Adirondacks, Nehasne, which he says 
means "beaver on a log" in Iroquois. I doubted this, 
and wrote to my friend, Father Forbes at Caughnawa- 
ga, who is past master in this language. He wrote 
me that nehasne simply means "le voila," " there he 
is" — and is a common expression. 

He accounts for Dr. Webb's meaning by supposing 
that someone in early days heard an Indian say 
"Nehasne" — "there he is," at the moment a beaver 
was seen before jumping into the water, when the 
white man immediately concluded that this was the 
word for beaver ! I firmly believe that this is the way 
Dr. Webb got his word. I know of similar instances 
in other dialects, although I am no Iroquoian myself. 

I would be glad to hear from you again in this 
matter, as I am very much interested in all Americana, 
to which, however, I can only give such time as is not 
taken up by my work in Semitica. 

Yours sincerely, 

J. Dyneley Pbince. 

P. S. — If the Abenakis had wished to say "big 
trout river" they would say misi-sko tam-tukw. I am 
sending a little pamphlet on Indian place names in the 
Adirondacks. T D P 

And later, in answer to some further objections and 
suggestions, Professor Prince wrote again as follows : 



38 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

Columbia University, 
New York City, Feb. 24, 1905. 

Dr. George McAleer, 

Worcester, Mass. 

Bear Sir: I cannot refrain from saying another 
friendly word abont Missisquoi. I note from your 
letter that you still cling to the idea that the element 
sesco or sisco has something to do with fish. I 
assure you as one who has a good colloquial knowledge 
of Abenaki that this element cannot mean fish of any 
kind. 

Fish in all eastern Algic dialects is namas or names 
or namech, and trout is sko-tam, pronounced shohtam, 
with a quittered h. As to the variety of the spellings 
of the name, they really signify little, and are proba- 
bly nothing more than a number of methods of spell- 
ing introduced by unlettered whites in their efforts to 
reproduce the Indian pronunciation. If you will say 
Missisquoi, which was originally pronounced Missis- 
kwa with the French oi sound, to any Abenaki Indian, 
he will tell you either that it means "big rattlesnake ' ' 
or "big snake.'' The word is quite evidently a French 
attempt to write the Abenaki maaskog, "big snake," 
the g nearly silent, or wisa-sisik-wa, "big rattle- 
snake," both of which terms may have been applied 
to the region. 

Above all do not write any paper for publication 
without saying the name to an intelligent Abenaki 
Indian or you will be terribly attacked by some one 
like Gerard who has made a specialty of the eastern 
Algic. 

Personally I could talk Abenaki nearly as fast as 
English once, but have lost my conversational fluency 
of late years. Yours very truly, 

J. Dyneley Prince. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 39 

This positive piscatorial pronouncement of Profes- 
sor Prince prompted further investigation along these 
lines. In a contribution to the pages of the "Journal 
of American Folk-Lore/' page 240 et seq., from the 
pen of Dr. Alexander F. Chamberlain, Fellow of Clark 
University, Worcester, Mass., entitled " Algonkian 
Words in American English: a Study in the Contact 
of the White Man and the Indian/ 7 occurs the follow- 
ing: 

Cisco (Sisco), a name applied to certain species of 
fish found in the Great Lakes and adjoining waters: 
(1) The Lake "moon eye" (Coregonus hoyi) ; (2) 
The Lake herring (Coregonus artedi). The word is 
probably derived from one of the Algonkian dialects 
of this region. 

Cisco ette. A name of the Lake herring, apparently 
derivative, with French diminutive suffix, from Cisco, 
but rather a corruption of Siskowit. 

Siscowit. The name, which has also the forms sis- 
cowet, sisco ette, siskowit, etc., is applied both to a 
variety of the Great Lake trout, "Mackinaw trout" 
(Salmo-namaycush) , and to a Lake herring (Sisco), is 
by some writers referred to as " an Ojibwa Siskawit. ' ' 

And in the History of the Missisco Valley, by Sam- 
uel Sumner, M. A., published under the auspices of the 
Orleans County (Vt.) Historical Society, 1860, it is 
recorded on page 6: "Four people in one day about 
the year 1800 caught more than 500 pounds of trout in 
a pond near the foot of Bald Mountain in Westmore in 
the northern part of the county." 



40 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

And in "Lake Champlain and its Shores,' ' by Eev. 
W. H. H. Murray, Boston, 1890, it is stated on page 
190 : "The Winooski Eiver is not only a very beautiful 
stream, but to a peculiar degree historic. The Abena- 
quis Indians originally occupied the east side of the 
lake from opposite Mohawk Eock to the northern end 
of Missisquoi Bay, and the Winooski Eiver was, 
because of its multitudes of salmon and the beauty of 
its banks, a favorite resort of theirs. It was along 
this river also that the old Indian trail ran which led 
over to the Connecticut, and was much used by all the 
northern tribes in friendship with the Abenaquis in 
their annual migrations to and from the sea coast." 

While Dr. Chamberlain authenticates my contention 
for the name and identity of the fish, and the History 
of Missisco Valley and the Eev. W. H. H. Murray tes- 
tify to the former very great abundance of trout in the 
Missisquoi Eiver and near-by waters, and Trumbull's 
Natick Dictionary gives Mishquskoo as the Algonquian 
word for trout, it is not contended that this proves the 
etymology of the word under consideration; but it is 
urged that as a working hypothesis it has as many ele- 
ments of probability to recommend it as many others 
that are offered and warmly advocated.* 

As my investigations proceeded, confusion seemed 
more confounded, but this only stimulated renewed 
endeavor. I next addressed the following letter to 



* Since the above was written 1 have discovered that this identical 
variety of the species Salmo—Salmo-namaycush— formerly abounded in 
vast numbers in all the tributaries of Lake Champlain. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 41 

Hon. Desire Grirouard, D.C.L., Q.C., M.P., Judge of 
the Supreme Court of the Dominion of Canada, 
Ottawa, and author of "Lake St. Louis Old and New, 
and Cavalier de la Salle" : 

Worcester, Mass, U.S.A., May 18, 1905. 

Hon. Desire Girouard, 

Judge Supreme Court of Canada, 
Ottawa, Ontario. 
Dear Sir: I am very anxious to learn the etymology 
of the Indian place name formerly spelled Missesco, 
Missescoui, and various other ways until officially 
decided in its present form, Missisquoi, some fifty or 
more years ago; a name of a river in northern Ver- 
mont, of a bay on the northern end of Lake Cham- 
plain, and of a county bordering thereon in the Prov- 
ince of Quebec. I desire to learn if the various spell- 
ings have a common origin and signification, or if 
they are different words having different meanings, 
and if so, what they are. I appealed to Dr. Alexander 
F. Chamberlain of Clark University, who has given 
much attention to the language and dialects of west- 
ern Indians and who has written monographs and arti- 
cles for publication in ethnological journals thereon, 
but being less familiar with the language of the east- 
ern Indians he referred me to you with authority to 
use his name in this connection. Will you not kindly 
come to my aid and oblige me by supplying the inform- 
ation sought! By so doing you will confer a great 
favor, and thanking you in advance therefor, I am, 

Yours most respectfully, 

George McAleer. 

To which came the following prompt reply : 



42 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

The Supreme Court of Canada. 

Ottawa, Ontario, 21st May, 1905. 
Dear Doctor: Your letter of the 18th received. I am 
making inquiry into the subject and expect to be able 
to report in a few days. Yours very truly, 

D. GrIROUARD. 

And later : 

The Supreme Court of Canada. 

Ottawa, 24th June, 1905. 

Dear Sir: After a good many inquiries, I am able at 
last to give you the etymology of the name "Missis- 
quoi," spelled "Missiskouy" in a grant from the 
French Crown in 1733, "Missisque" in another offi- 
cial document of 1783, and "Missisqui" by Bouchette 
in 1815. It means the same thing, no matter how 
spelled. Its origin is Abenaquis, and a missionary of 
a tribe of these Indians informs me that it is well 
known among them. It means a place where boulders 
are to be found, and more especially ' 6 Boulder Point ; ' ' 
"I'origine du mot Missisquoi," he says, il est Masiki- 
koik, mot qui signifie endroit ou il y a du caillou et 
plus specialment encore Pointe de Cailloux." 

This interpretation differs very much from the one 
generally accepted, — "much water-fowl." I am writ- 
ing an article on the subject for ' ( Le Bulletin des 
Recherches Historiques," a monthly periodical pub- 
lished in Levis, P. Q. It will probably appear in the 
August number. As I am leaving for Europe for 
some months, I will not be able to send it to you, but 
you may get it from the publishers. 

Hoping you may be pleased with the information 
sent, I remain, Yours very truly, 

D. GrIROUARD. 

Dr. George McAleer. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 43 

In pursuit of further information, I sent the follow- 
ing letter : 

Worcester, Mass., May 29, 1905. 

Mr. W. H. Holmes, 

Chief of Bureau American Ethnology, 
Smithsonian Institution, 
Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir: I am very anxious to learn the derivation 
and meaning of the Indian place name now spelled 
Missisquoi — a name of a river in northern Vermont, 
and of a bay on the northern end of Lake Champlain, 
in the Province of Quebec. This name has undergone 
many changes in spelling, some of which I subjoin, 
together with some of the different explanations that 
have been given of their origin and signification. 

The qualifying adjective, Mch, Mich, Michi, Mse, 
Mis and Missi, is present in nearly all, but the radical 
or root word appears in many forms, some of which 
are sesco, sisco, siscoe, siscoo, siscoue, siskoiu, sis- 
couie, siskuoy, slcoui, sisquio, siskoue, isqua, isquay, 
isquoi, isqui, ishoug, etc., etc. 

And some of the meanings given are : 

Mes sisco — a place of much fish or trout. 

Mis sisiquoi — a place of much, many or large gourds, 
such as the Indians used for rattles or drums, and to 
beat time with. 

Mis sesikew — much, many, or great rattlesnakes. 

Mse kiskeco — a place of much grass ; a miry place ; a 
place where many willows grow ; a place where cat-tail 
flag abounds (which was largely used by Indians for 
making mats). 

Mse kisco — much or many water-fowl. 

Mis ikew, or iskwew — big or great woman. 

These derivations and meanings are furnished by 



44 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

some of the leading authorities of the past, and by 
Indian scholars of the present time, and each is posi- 
tive of the correctness of his rendering, and equally 
positive that the others have no substantial basis to 
rest upon. I desire, also, to learn if all these forms 
have a common origin and signification ; or, if they, or 
some of them, may not have a different origin, and 
therefore a different meaning. 

The courtesy of your consideration and aid will be 
highly appreciated by, my dear sir, 

Yours most respectfully, 

George McAleer. 

Smithsonian Institution. 
Bureau of American Ethnology. 

Washington, D. C, June 5, 1905. 
Dear Sir: Your letter of May 29 asking the meaning 
of the word Missisquoi is at hand, and I beg to give 
you the statement furnished by Mr. Hewitt, who is 
our best expert in the languages of the East: Missis- 
quoi is seemingly either from Missi, great, large, and 
ikwew or iskwew, a woman, and thus signifies a large 
woman; or Missi, great, large, and assisquois, mud or 
clay, which would make it signify large or great clay 
place. You will see, therefore, that is related to our 
words Mississippi and Missouri. Before the absolute 
meaning of the word can be given, however, as used 
in New England, the entire history of its use must be 
known. 

Very truly yours, 

(Signed) W. H. Holmes, 

Chief. 
Dr. George McAleer, 

"Worcester, Mass. 




MISSISQUOI RIVER 
and LAKE CHAMPLAIN 

AS SHOWN ON 

CLAUDE JOSEPH SAUTHIER'S MAP 

Published in 1779. 



Reproduced in part expressly for 

THE ETYMOLOGY OF MISSISQUOI 

By George McAleer. M.D. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 45 

To this letter of Mr. Holmes I made the following 
reply : 

Worcester Mass., June 12, 1905. 

Mr. W. H. Holmes, 

Chief Bureau American Ethnology, 
Smithsonian Institution, 
Washington, D. C. 

Dear Sir: I have yonr favor of June 5th, in refer- 
ence to the Indian place name Missisquoi, now before 
me. You state that " before the absolute meaning of 
the word can be given, however, as used in New Eng- 
land, the entire history of its use must be known.' ' 

The only place on this continent ever known by this 
name is the river in northern Vermont, from which it 
was given to that portion of Lake Champlain near by 
which extends into Canada and now known as Missis- 
quoi Bay, and later (about 1800) it was given to the 
county bordering thereon in Canada. 

The name of the river was originally spelled Mes- 
sesco, as was also the village of Troy, Vermont, 
when first named, and it was so called until October 
26, 1803, about the time that the wave for changing the 
aboriginal to classic names swept over the country, 
when it was given its present name. In its orthogra- 
phy this name has undergone many changes. It is 
spelled on a map made by Sieur Auger in 1732, Michis 
couy, and later in 1779, it is spelled on Souther's map 
Missis koui. Various other modifications, some of 
which were mentioned in my previous letter, have 
occurred in the spelling, until it became fixed in the 
present form some time after the county bordering 
upon the bay of this name was established. 

You mention Mis si iskew as a probable origin of 
the word. Indian scholars pronounce this inadmissi- 



46 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

ble as being of Cree origin, a language differing from 
the Iroquois and Abenaquis, the latter of whom occu- 
pied the territory in question, and the former were 
their nearest neighbors on the opposite side of the 
lake ; one of which tribes doubtless bestowed the name, 
with the probabilities in favor of the latter. 

I am very anxious to probe this matter to the bot- 
tom and to get the exact etymology of the word so that 
it will be accepted as authoritative, and sincerely trust 
you will not deem me too importunate when I crave 
your further valuable aid. 

Yours very truly, 

GrEORGE McAlEER. 

Smithsonian Institution. 
Bureau of American Ethnology. 

Washington, D. C, June 13, 1905. 
Dear Sir: I have your letter of June 12 regarding 
the signification of Missisquoi, and will refer it to such 
members of the bureau as may be able to throw further 
light upon its meaning. As all of our people are 
extremely busy in completing work to be submitted at 
the close of the fiscal year, June 30, it is not likely 
that they can give any time to the inquiry for the 
present, but I will see that it is attended to at the 
earliest possible date. 

Very truly yours, 

W. H. Holmes, 

Dr. George McAleer, Chief * 

Worcester, Mass. 

I next sought the desired information from a mis- 
sionary of the Abenakis at Pierreville, P. Q., Canada. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 47 

Wokcestek, Mass., U.S.A., July 5th, 1905. 

Rev. Joseph de Gonzague, 

St. Thomas de Piekkeville, P. Q. 

Reverend and Dear Sir: Your correspondent 
desires to learn the etymology of the Indian place 
name now spelled Missisquoi, but which in earlier 
times was spelled in various other ways, some of 
which are Michiscoui, Missisco, Missiskoui, etc. 

At first, this name was confined to a river that flows 
across the northern part of the State of Vermont and 
disembogues into Lake Champlain near the boundary 
line between the United States and Canada. Later 
it was given to that portion of the lake that extends 
into Canada and is now known as Missisquoi Bay ; and 
when the land was first surveyed, about one hundred 
years ago, it was bestowed upon the county border- 
ing thereon in the Province of Quebec. 

The examination of the works of those who have writ- 
ten upon Indian philology and kindred topics, reveals a 
very great discrepancy in the conclusions arrived at 
in reference to the origin and signification of this word, 
and living students and scholars whom I have con- 
sulted are no less discordant and unharmonious. 

I very much desire to learn the etymology of this 
word, and to settle for all time its true origin and 
signification. 

The waters and territory to which it is now applied 
were mainly, since the dawn of history at least, under 
the sway of the Abenaquis, which would lend color 
to the supposition that it is of Abenaki origin; but as 
the section of the country known by this name was 
upon the border line separating them from their fierce 
and implacable enemies, the Iroquois, it would be 
doing no violence to probability to suppose that the 



48 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

word may have had an Iroquoian origin, particularly 
as the terminals koui, koue and coui (Catara-coui) are 
frequently met with in that language. 

I rejoice that it is my good fortune to be in corre- 
spondence with one of that band of devoted mission- 
aries who for centuries have evinced the zeal of the 
Master and the heroism of the martyrs in Christian- 
izing and uplifting the lowly creatures of a common 
Creator, whose devotion and triumphs are a credit 
to humanity and civilization, and which are in such 
marked contrast with the sword of persecution and 
extermination so industriously and so fatally wielded 
by others. 

I rejoice, moreover, in the knowledge that he to 
whom I appeal for aid "is now spending himself and 
being spent" in behalf of the remnant of that once 
famous tribe of Indians of which alone, among all 
others, the fierce and warlike Iroquois stood in dread, 
and upon whose territory they did not presume to 
encroach; the tribe whose headquarters were near the 
height of land whence flow the Yamaska, St. Francis, 
Chaudiere, Kennebec, Androscoggin, Connecticut and 
Missisquoi rivers to all points of the compass, and 
whose memory is now mainly recalled to the masses 
of the people who live in this territory by the names 
they gave to rivers, lakes and mountains, and to this 
an otherwise insignificant river ! 

Living as you do, reverend sir, among the descend- 
ants of these people, whose tongue and traditions you 
have made your own, in addition to your many other 
accomplishments and advantages, I am very confident 
that you can and will oblige me by supplying the 
information sought, whether the name be Abenaquis, 
Iroquoian, or of other origin; whether the various 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 49 

spellings have a common origin and signification, or, 
if different, what are the different meanings, etc., etc. 
The offering which I enclose herewith comes from 
a not plethoric purse — I wish I could send you more — 
and I beg you to accept in the same kind spirit that 
prompts it, not as compensation, but as a testimony 
of my earnestness and appreciation of your antici- 
pated courtesy and valuable aid. 

Very sincerely yours, 

George McAleer. 

To this letter I received prompt reply, of which the 
following is a translation, and which because of its 
interest and value as a picture of the home life at the 
beginning of the twentieth century of the remnant of 
a powerful and extensive Indian tribe, now rapidly 
nearing the sunset of their existence, I give in full : 

Abenakis Mission. 
St. Thomas de Pierreville, P. Q., July 11, 1905. 

My dear Sir: Your interesting letter and its con- 
tents have been received. I must say to you that the 
noble sentiments which you have expressed to me 
deserve to be preserved in the archives of the tribe. 
I thank you very cordially for the offering which you 
have made to me. I shall use it to advantage for my 
church which has so much need of it. 

As to the etymology of the word Missisquoi, which 
is the subject of your inquiry to-day, it is difficult to 
trace it. It is Algonquian. The dictionaries of Father 
Aubery do not mention the word. I must request you 
to wait a little while. Chief Laurent, an old Abena- 
quis, well informed and still a student, a man who 

4 



50 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

knows the language very well, having compiled and 
published an Indian dictionary, resides at this mis- 
sion, but is now with other members of the tribe in 
the United States, whither they have gone to dispose 
of the products of their handiwork. This man, then, 
ought to be able to inform us of the origin and signifi- 
cation of the word. When he returns I will have 
him trace this word, and I doubt not but that he will 
find "the thread that ties up the skein." 

I thank you again for your words of appreciation 
of my work among the Abenakis. I have been a mis- 
sionary here for ten years. The Abenakis here num- 
ber one thousand souls. They have occupied this mis- 
sion since it was established in A. D. 1680. They speak 
French, English and Abenaquis fluently, the last being 
the language in general use. 

They are all in very moderate circumstances finan- 
cially, and for the most part secure their means of 
livelihood by the sale of the products of their handi- 
work, such as canoes, snow-shoes, moccasins, baskets, 
etc. 

Many have intermarried with the Canadians. They 
are intelligent, have an extraordinary ear for lan- 
guages, have learned to play musical instruments, and 
are generally good singers. They are gentle, hospita- 
ble and sympathetic. They are not economical. They 
are inconstant and have incessant need of direction, 
of being pushed, rather. This mission is located in 
the most beautiful spot in the country, and they live 
happily in the midst of their poverty. 

I have written to you in French, hoping that you 
understand this language. I have great difficulty in 
expressing myself in English. When next you write 
let me know if you understand me or if you prefer to 
have me write in English. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 51 

Will you accept, sir, the expression of my sincere 
gratitude, and believe me, 

Most devotedly yours, 

JOS. DE GONZAGUE, 

Missionary Priest. 

Failing to get any information from those charged 
with the administration of the educational affairs of 
the Province of Quebec, or from others prominent in 
official station, in relation to the etymology of the name 
of one of the counties of the Province, or even the cour- 
tesy of a reply to my inquiries, I opened the following 
correspondence with the head of the Provincial Treas- 
ury Department, and for whose kindly interest and 
aid, so timely and exceptional, I take this opportunity 
to specially thank. 

Worcester, Mass., February 10, 1905. 

Hon. J. C. McCorkill, 

Provincial Treasurer, 
Quebec, P. Q. 
Dear Mr. McCorkill: A native of old Missisquoi 
County, I am proud that one of her sons has at last 
attained to the proud distinction of head of the Finan- 
cial Department of the Province, and this through the 
Liberal party to which my people have ever been devot- 
edly loyal! Ad multos Annos! I recall with pleasure 
a dinner at which I met you some years ago in Bed- 
ford, but a little thing like that is not supposed to be 
much of an event in such a strenuous life as you are 
living, and so I suppose what is now a very pleasant 
memory with me has long since become a blank to you ; 



52 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

another proof, if one were wanting, that "things are 
only great by comparison. ' ' 

Like other members of my family, I seek not selfish 
ends — nor ever have — but all the same, yon can do me 
a great favor, and I trust you will not deem me pre- 
sumptuous when I explain matters and relate the diffi- 
culties encountered. 

For more years than span the life of a generation I 
have tried to stir up a little interest in matters his- 
torical in my native county ; but alas ! what a mountain 
of indifference and inertia have I encountered! At 
last a promising ray breaks upon the horizon; an evi- 
dence of life is given to prove that Missisquoi at last 
is awakening from the slumber of one hundred years 
and will yet claim her place historically among her 
sister counties of the Province. I am asked, as a con- 
tributor thereto, to prepare a paper on the name of 
the county, — its origin and signification. 

To help matters to a successful issue, I am only too 
willing to spend time and money, but here, again, 
another alas ! and alas ! ! — after spending both only to 
find other forbidding and disheartening obstacles lying 
athwart my path in the land of my nativity, and this 
where interest and co-operation should be manifested, 
and which serve in a measure to keep Quebec where 
she is in the race of enlightenment and progress. 

To make a long story short, I have appealed to the 
authorities at Ottawa and met with ready response, 
but they are more familiar with the language and 
dialects of the western Indians than with those of the 
East, and, therefore, their information is not as defi- 
nite and conclusive as it should be to cover the inform- 
ation sought. 

The States of Vermont and New York have promptly 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 53 

put their archives at my disposal. The Bureau of 
Ethnology and Philology at Washington gives prompt 
attention to my inquiries, busy college professors and 
individuals who have attained more than national 
celebrity, accord me every courtesy; but from the 
scholars and savants of Quebec, where doubtless the real 
information and data are lodged, never a word ! Try as 
I may, my every effort is effectually blocked by culpa- 
ble indifference and a deadly inertia. You will appre- 
ciate my dilemma all the more when I inform you, 
probably what you already know, that nearly every 
Indian tribe had a dialect of its own, and the word to 
express a meaning in one section would not be under- 
stood, or might have a different meaning, in another. 
At Ottawa they have very full vocabularies of the 
Mississaugas, Cree, Ojibway and other more remote 
western tribes, of which, to some extent at least, they 
have made a specialty, doubtless owing to the fact 
that a large number of Indians still reside in the great 
northwest, and to their dealings and intercourse with 
them. The eastern Indians being to them a back num- 
ber, so to speak, and rapidly vanishing, do not appeal 
to them with the force of personal interest as the west- 
ern Indians do; consequently, as might be expected, 
their records in relation to the eastern tribes are not 
so full and complete. The Indians inhabiting the val- 
ley of the St. Lawrence and tributaries, especially on 
the southern side, were principally of the St. Francis 
and Abenaquis tribes, who had a common dialect, 
which must be of record in the archives of Quebec, 
and I now make appeal to you to put me in the way 
of securing a key by means of which to effect an 
entrance thereto ; or, what would please me much bet- 
ter, if I am not asking too much, is for you to get the 



54 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

information for me, as I am snre you have an entree 
where I would only encounter the repelling sign, ' ' No 
admission. ' ' 

What I desire is to learn the etymology of the word 
Missisquoi in the Abenakis dialect of the Algonquian 
language. This I would like to get authoritatively, 
and surely some one in Quebec must be able to furnish 
it. If you cannot find time to secure it for me, will 
you kindly put me in the way of getting it for the bene- 
fit of the people of your old constituency who know so 
little of their own history, and thus greatly oblige, 
Yours very respectfully, 

George McAleer. 

Quebec, P. Q., February 13th, 1905. 

George McAleer, Esq., MJD., 
Worcester, Mass. 

My dear Dr. McAleer: I received your letter of the 
10th inst. yesterday. You are very complimentary 
indeed, but at the same time I am human enough to 
appreciate a kind word from an old Missisquoi boy 
after the ups and downs of political life which I have 
experienced since 1866. 

I quite agree with you that our good people of Mis- 
sisquoi do not appreciate the value of a history of the 
county. We have a historical society, but thus far it 
has not done much practical work. I understand that 
the present officers of the society are trying to get the 
people of the county to take a more lively interest in 
its history, but whether they will succeed or not, I do 
not know. 

I forwarded the last page of your letter to Mr. 
Dionne, Librarian of Parliament, with a request to 
give me the information asked for with reference to 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 55 

the word Missisquoi. He informed my secretary that 
he had received a letter from you, and was looking up 
the matter, and would write you shortly on the sub- 
ject. Have you written to Dr. A. Gr. Doughty, Domin- 
ion Archivist, Ottawa? If not, please do so. He is 
the author of valuable Canadian historical works, and 
perhaps he will be able to assist in procuring the in- 
formation which you ask for. I myself will drop him 
a line and ask him to interest himself in the etymology 
of the name of my native county. 

If I can assist you in any other way in your re- 
searches and literary work, please do not hesitate to 
write me. Believe me, Y ours faithfully, 

J. C. McCoRKILL. 

Acting upon the suggestion of Mr. McCorkill, I ad- 
dressed the following letter to Dr. A. Gr. Doughty, 
Dominion Archivist, Ottawo, Ontario : 

Worcester, Mass., U.S.A., Feb. 17, 1905. 
Dr. A. Gr. Doughty, 

Dominion Archivist, 
Ottawa, Ontario. 

My dear Sir: I am very desirous to learn the ety- 
mology of the Indian place name Missisquoi, a bay at 
the northern end of Lake Champlain and of a county 
bordering thereon in the Province of Quebec. A 
native of this county, I am asked to prepare a paper 
setting forth the origin and signification of this word, 
and when and by whom it was bestowed upon the 
county. 

This work I am glad to undertake, and I should like 
to be accurate in my statements and conclusions. 

I applied for assistance to another native of Mis- 



56 Etymology of Missisquoi, 

sisquoi, Hon. J. C. McCorkill, now treasurer of the 
Province of Quebec, and lie suggested your name as 
one who would be likely to render valuable aid. I shall 
esteem it a very great favor if you will kindly furnish 
me with an explanation of the origin and signification 
of this word, and thanking you in anticipation therefor, 
I beg you to believe me, 

Yours most respectfully, 

GrEORGE McAlEER. 

To this I received the following reply: 

Office of the Akchivist. 

Ottawa, Ont., February 27, 1905. 
George McAleer, M.D., 

Worcester, Mass. 
Dear Sir: I have made many inquiries concerning 
the etymology of the word "Missisquoi," but I have 
been unable to get anything very definite, either from 
books or from correspondents. 

The word is no doubt of Algonquian origin, and it is 
evidently derived from Misqui or Misqua, the former 
meaning blood and the latter red. 

"Whether the term was applied to the water, meaning 
"the bloody river," or on account of a battle, or not, 
I am unable to say; or whether there may have been 
any peculiarity in the color of the water to suggest the 
term, is simply speculation. However, I think there 
is no question about the origin of the word. 

I will keep the matter before me, and if I find out 
anything further I will let you know. 

Yours faithfully, 

Alfred Gr. Doughty. 

P. S. — The reduplication of "is" is common, such 
as Miss is ippi, sipi being water, river. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 57 

I then replied to the letter of the Hon. J. C. Mc- 
Corkill as follows : 

Worcester, Mass., Feb. 27, 1905. 

Hon. J. C. McCorkill, 
Provincial Treasurer. 

My dear Mr. McCorkill: Your favor of February 
13th came duly at hand, and should have had earlier 
answer, but I have been waiting to hear from Mr. 
Dionne, Librarian of Parliament. I had written to 
him some time before writing to you, and his reply 
has just come to hand. He is unable to help me very 
definitely in the matter of the etymology of the Indian 
word Missisquoi, and strange enough he does not sug- 
gest where this information may be obtained. Cer- 
tainly there must be in the archives of Quebec, or in 
the records of some archaeological, ethnological, 
philological, antiquarian or historical society of the 
Province, definite data bearing upon this subject, and 
it would seem that a man in Mr. Dionne 's position, if 
he could not furnish the information sought, would 
refer me to the source whence it could be obtained. 
But so it is, and has been ! 

When the name was adopted for the bay and county 
there must have been consideration given to the mat- 
ter, the whys and wherefores discussed, and reasons 
assigned, and of this doubtless record was made. 
Again, the Indian tongue is yet a living language at 
Lorette and other missionary stations where it would 
seem information might be obtained as to the origin 
and signification of this word, but, personally, I do not 
know any one there to whom to apply. 

I hope you will not deem me importunate if I again 
appeal to you for aid. 



58 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

The Missisquoi Historical Society shows evidence of 
life, and I feel it my duty, as a son of old Missisquoi, 
to render every possible aid in a work already too 
long delayed. Whatever I do I desire to have au- 
thentic, and hence this must be my excuse for again 
troubling you. I have written Mr. Doughty at 
Ottawa, but have not heard from him yet. 

Bespeaking your kindly interest and aid, and thank- 
ing you in advance therefor, I am, 

Very sincerely yours, 

George McAleer. 

Quebec, P. Q., March 2d, 1905. 

George McAleer, Esq., M.D., 
Worcester, Mass. 
My dear Sir: I am in receipt of your letter of the 
27th ulto. I will see what I can do to procure you the 
information which you seek about the word Missisquoi. 
The House is opening to-day, and it may be a few days 
before I can give the matter personal attention. 

Yours truly, 

J. C. McCorkill. 

Worcester, Mass., July 3, 1905. 

Hon. J. C. McCorkill, 
West Farnham, P. Q. 
Dear Sir: In re Missisquoi. In your last letter, 
which I received several months ago, you informed 
me that I might expect to hear soon thereafter from 
you in reference to the etymology of this Indian place 
name, but I suppose your duties are so numerous and 
exacting that the matter has passed out of your mind. 
Supposing that now you have a little respite from the 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 59 

duties of your office of Treasurer of the Province, I 
beg to again bring the matter to your attention. This 
name at first was variously spelled — some forty differ- 
ent ways being in evidence in various publications — 
but soon after it was given to the county bordering 
upon the bay of the same name, the spelling thereof 
became fixed in the present form ; and it is a fair pre- 
sumption that reasons for so doing were debated, con- 
sidered and weighed, so that the orthography adopted 
might be as nearly correct as possible, and that they 
doubtless appeared in the official publications and doc- 
uments of the time, and if so, they must be available 
in the archives of Quebec. As these surveys were made 
under the direction of the Crown Lands Department, 
it is very probable that some record of this will be 
found in that department. Then there are the eth- 
nological, antiquarian, archaeological, historical and 
other societies whose records should furnish the in- 
formation sought. Moreover, as the Abenaquis is still 
a living language, and as linguists contend that the 
word is of Abenaquis origin, it would seem that its 
derivation and meaning might be furnished by many 
who use this tongue could access to or communication 
be had with them. 

As all these sources of information are too remote 
to be available by me, and as I am very 
anxious to get at the bottom facts in the case, I again 
venture to trespass upon your valuable time in the 
hope that I may secure your co-operation and aid to 
set at rest for all time the origin and signification of 
the name of our county, to which we owe loving alle- 
giance and of which in many things we are so justly 
proud. 

Craving your indulgence for this additional trespass 



60 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

upon your valuable time and forbearance, and thank- 
ing you in advance for the courtesy of your considera- 
tion and assistance, I beg you to believe me, 
Very sincerely yours, 

GrEORGE McAlEER. 

Quebec, July 11th, 1905. 

GrEORGE McAlEER, M.D., 

Worcester, Mass., U.S.A. 
Dear Sir: The Hon. Mr. McCorkill received commu- 
nication of your favor of the 3d inst. last Thursday, 
but was too busy to give it his personal attention, so 
handed it to me to reply to. 

Since then I have been endeavoring to get at the 
true etymology of the word " Missisquoi,' ' and am 
furthering my inquiries by writing to-day to some 
Indian missionaries to obtain their opinions on the 
subject. When I have completed my research I will 
write you again giving you all the information I have 
been able to obtain. 

I have the honor to be, sir, 

Your obedient servant, 

G. Alfred Morris, 
Private Secretary. 

Worcester, Mass., July 13, 1905. 

G-. Alfred Morris, Esq., Private Secretary, 
Quebec, P. Q. 
Dear Sir: I have your favor of July 11th, and note 
contents. I fear that in view of the many changes in 
the Indian languages and dialects, as well as in the 
orthography of the words and place names, the 
missionaries of to-day will not be able to throw much 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 61 

light upon the etymology of the word Missisquoi as 
now spelled. Back in 1736, this word was spelled 
MicJii-koui, and koui was the radical or root word of 
many Iroquoian names — Hiro-koui, Catara-coui, etc. — 
and it seems as if this same koui was the original ter- 
minal or root word of Missisquoi, as it so appears on 
old maps and in early publications, and it would very 
naturally have a different meaning from the sisquoi 
of the present form. 

Various spellings were in vogue down to the time 
when Missisquoi County was surveyed, about A. D. 
1800, and for some time afterward until it was officially 
established in the present form. Doubtless at that time 
reasons pro and con were given for this, and it seems 
as if the records thereof should be in the Crown Lands 
Department, in some of the publications of the time, 
or in the records of the Quebec Historical or other 
society. 

Yours very truly, 

GrEOEGE McAlEEK. 



Treasurer's Office. Treasury Department. 
Province of Quebec. 

Quebec, July 22d, 1905. 

George McAleer, Esq., M.D., 

Worcester, Mass., U.S.A. 
Dear Sir: I regret to say that up to the present 
time all our researches have failed to result in definite 
or official information as to the etymology of the word 
" Missisquoi." Enclosed I beg to hand you the record 
of our correspondence re this matter. From it you 
will gather that the consensus of opinion gives the 
meaning of the word as being "big woman." One 



62 Etymology op Missisquoi. 

gentleman of our Public Works Department here up- 
held this opinion, and another gentleman of the De- 
partment of Lands, Mines and Fisheries, who has 
made considerable researches among the Indian names 
of the Province, also maintained that the word meant 
"big woman," and was of Cree origin, stating as his 
authorities Father Lacombe and Mgr. Lafleche, both 
Indian missionaries. The only reasonable objection 
that I can see against accepting this meaning as being 
the correct one is the well-known fact that the Indians 
invariably named rivers, lakes, mountains, etc., in a 
manner descriptive of the objects themselves, and it 
is hardly possible that Missisquoi Bay would have 
reminded them of a big woman. 

As to the spelling of the word, different writers have 
apparently pleased themselves, but as far back as 
1771-77 it was spelled in its present form by John Col- 
lins in his official map of the boundary line between 
the Province of Quebec and the State of New York. 

I might just mention that the gentleman in the De- 
partment of Lands, Mines and Fisheries, of whom I 
made mention just now, told me that the only names 
of Abenakis origin are to be found in the St. Francis 
district, such as Magog, Memphremagog, Coaticook, 
etc. 

As far is I can find, there are no records in the De- 
partment of Crown Lands setting forth the reasons 
for naming the county as at present styled. 

Eegretting our inability to secure for you any defi- 
nite information on this subject, and trusting you will 
find the record of use, I have the honor to be, sir, 
Your obedient servant, 

Gr. Alfked Morris, 

Private Secretary. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 63 

The following letters addressed to Mr. Gr. Alfred 
Morris were transmitted to me by him with the fore- 
going letter : 

The Missisquoi County Historical Society. 

Cowansville, Que., 13th March, 1905. 

Gr. Alfred Morris, Esq., Secretary, 
Quebec. 

Dear Sir: I have been hunting among my treasures 
for my historical scrap-book to give you the informa- 
tion required, but it has gone astray for the moment. 
I have written William Mead Pattison, Esq., of Clar- 
enceville, who wrote something about it in the Star 
a few years ago, to forward the meaning to Mr. Mc- 
Corkill. 

I remember that one meaning I had of Missisquoi 
was that it was an Indian word meaning "much 
water-fowl." I have also heard that it was an Indian 
word meaning "damn the Dutch," in allusion to 
alleged early settlers. This can scarcely be, because I 
think it had that name before the Dutch came. I 
incline to the opinion that "much water-fowl" is the 
true meaning, but if Mr. Pattison gives another I 
should be disposed to accept it, for he has given much 
time to local research. 

It has been spelled various ways, even in early acts 
of Parliament. The present form of spelling is quite 
modern. It has been spelled Missiskouie, Missiskoui, 
Missisque, Missisko, and lastly Missisquoi. The first 
form, "Missiskouie," was employed by the late Leon 
Lalanne, the first notary public in this district, and 
who practiced here from 1799 to 1845. 

Yours truly, 

Jno. P. Noyes. 



64 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

Clakenceville, P. Q., March 15, 1905. 

My dear Mr. McCorkill: J. P. Noyes, P.S.C., our en- 
ergetic President of the Missisquoi Historical Society, 
writes me to give you what I know of the origin of the 
name Missisquoi. Some years since I replied to an 
inquiry in the Montreal Daily Star, and my conclu- 
sions were that Missisquoi and Mississippi took their 
names from the Mississauga tribe of friendly Indians. 
I find in the report of Archives of Canada for the year 
1899, page 45, that in the transactions for 1704, a 
council was held at Fort Pontchartrain, in which the 
Hurons, Miamis and four other tribes are named with 
the Mississaugas. 

If I remember right, Fort Pontchartrain was near 
the mouth of the Mississippi. The tribe in question 
may have been nomadic. I find frequent reference to 
them along the borders of Vermont, as well as in this 
Province. In the former, we have Missisquoi River in 
Franklin County, Vermont. 

This has always been the only conclusion I could 
come to, and it seems reasonable. As you know, the 
origin of our cities, towns and counties is first from 
the French, as the Hundred Associates awarded seign- 
ioral grants to numbers of DeCalliere's regiment, In- 
dians and English. 

I am very glad to have the question raised, for it 
is time it was settled. I will write to the Secretary of 
the Vermont Historical Society, who has hitherto sent 
me any information or papers asked for. I will keep 
to work on the question till something more definite is 
arrived at, and will be pleased to advise you of the 
progress made. The Vermont Historical Society has 
over one thousand bound books in their library at 
Montpelier, and I wish our Missisquoi Society could 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 65 

make a start in this direction. Would not the Quebec 
government give us a starter? 

If we had "Parkman's History of Canada/' I think 
likely the derivation of Missisquoi could be established. 
"Parkman's History of Canada " should be in the Par- 
liamentary Library at Quebec, and should you find 
time to search for the origin of our county name and 
meet with success, I trust you will give our Historical 
Society the benefit of your research. 

I wish a joint meeting of the Brome and Missisquoi 
societies could be held sometime during the summer 
at Cowansville or Sweet sburg. I would be glad to 
lend a helping hand. Am suggesting to our President 
and Secretary a meeting at Isle-aux-noix, and if it 
materializes, I will let you know the date and how to 
reach there. 

With assurance of my high regards, I am, 

Yours very truly, 

Wm. Mead Pattison. 
Hon. J. C. McCorkill. 

Clarenceville, P. Q., March 16, 1905. 
My dear Mr. McCorkill: Since my letter of yester- 
day, I have been reading Sir J. Gr. Bourinot's work, 
"The Story of Canada,' 'published by the Copp-Clarke 
Co., Limited, Toronto. Chapter VIII, "The Canadian 
Indians and the Iroquois," page 123, probably the 
Allegeni who gave their names to the Alleganies, etc., 
seems to strengthen my view that theMississaguas may 
have left Missisquoi in our county, and the river and 
valley of that name in northern Vermont. The idea 
that Mississippi came from the same source is prepos- 
terous, as that name translated into English is mighty 
river or father of waters ; Missouri, great muddy river. 

5 



66 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

As Missisquoi is evidently of Indian origin, the ques- 
tion comes up as to its meaning. The name must 
have been adopted in 1797, as it then appears in the 
"Act for Dividing the Province of Lower Canada into 
Counties." (Given in historical notes in the News of 
Feb. 24.) 

What we want to get at is the derivation of Missis- 
quoi — which is clearly a name of Indian origin. The 
people of northern Vermont should be as inquisitive 
on this point as we are, and I will write to-day 
to the secretary of the Vermont Historical Society, 
also a professor in the University of Vermont, Bur- 
lington, Vt. Am bound to stick to it, and with your 
and Mr. Noyes' co-operation, I think I will strike bed 
pan in time. If you could find in some public library, 
T. H. Morgan's book, "The League of the Iroquois 
and Braves, and Home Life of the Aborigines/' pos- 
sibly some information could be got out of it. 

I have a book, viz., "History of the Indians," but 
as I cannot find it in my library, conclude it is lent! 
Will be spending some time in Montreal early in the 
summer, and will hunt up some work on the aborigines 
in Redpath, lot 22, or at Frazier Institute. If I make 
any progress in the matter will let you know. 
Yours very truly, 

William Mead Pattison. 
Hon. J. C. McCokkill. 

Quebec, P. Q., March 18, 1905. 

William Mead Pattison, Esq., 
Claeenceville, P. Q. 
Bear Sir: — I beg to acknowledge receipt of your 
favors of the 15th and 16th insts. relating to the origin 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 67 

of the name Missisquoi. Please accept my sincere 
thanks for the trouble you have given yourself, and 
the information contained in your letters. Any 
further information you can give me will be highly 
appreciated. Y ours very truly, 

J. C. McCoRKILL. 

Quebec, March 20, 1905. 
The Librarian of 

the McGtll University Library, 
Montreal, P. Q. 
Dear Sir: — I am desirous of obtaining for my Min- 
ister, the Hon. Mr. McCorkill, Provincial Treasurer, 
the etymology of the word "Missisquoi," the name of 
one of the counties comprising the Eastern Townships. 
Any information you can give me will be greatly ap- 
preciated. 

Thanking you in anticipation, on behalf of the Min- 
ister, I am, Yours sincerely, 

G. Alfred Morris, 
Private Secretary. 

Office of the Archivist, 

Ottawa, Ont., March 21, 1905. 

My dear Minister: About the same time that I re- 
ceived your inquiry re "Missisquoi," I received a 
letter from Dr. McAleer of Worcester, Mass., on this 
same subject. 

I made my inquiries at the time, and wrote to several 
priests whom I thought would know something about 
the origin of the word, but without success. I then 
looked up all the Indian dictionaries, and from this 



68 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

the word appears to be Algonquin, and I gave Dr. Mc- 
Aleer the result of my investigation. 

In Algonquin Miskwaw means red, and Miskwi, 
blood. I find that syllables such as "is" are often 
duplicated in words, and by this process Mis (is) kwi 
gives the word. I know nothing about the applica- 
tion of the word to the district or to the river, possi- 
bly it may have been given to commemorate some 
bloody engagement. 

The Abenakis were a branch of the Algonquins, and 
inhabited St. Francis District in quite early times. 

I have looked up everything we have here, but there 
is no further light to be thrown on the question. The 
spelling varies : Missiscuoi, Missiskwi, Misisskwa, 
etc., in the early records. 

Pardon me for not writing before. 

Yours faithfully, 

A. Gr. Doughty. 

Ontario Legislative Library. 

Toronto, Ont., March 22, 1905. 

Gr. Alfred Morris, Esq., 
Quebec, P. Q. 

Bear Sir: In reply to your letter, I am not a deep 
Indian language scholar, but I think the etymology of 
"Missisquoi" is clear. In all the Algonquin lan- 
guages, "missi" means great, much, big, many. The 
last syllable I take to be a French or English attempt 
to render l l ikwew ' ' a woman, usually a ' ' squaw. ' ' 
The whole word would mean "the great woman." 

I write this subject to correction at the hands of any- 

bod y- Yours faithfully, 

Avern Pardoe. 



Etymology op Missisquoi. 69 

McGill University Library. 

Montreal, P. Q., March 28th, 1905. 

Dear Sir: I duly received a note from your private 
secretary, dated March 20th, asking if I could obtain 
for you the etymology of the word Missisquoi. It has 
taken some time to get any information about it, the 
dictionaries of Indian languages which we have being 
apparently insufficient for the purpose. I have, how- 
ever, corresponded with the Rev. Ernest M. Taylor, 
Secretary of the Brome County Historical Society, 
and also with Dr. David Boyle of the Provincial Mu- 
seum, Toronto. From them I obtained the following 
information: Dr. Boyle and Mr. Aubrey White, a 
friend of his, think that the word is of Cree origin, 
although they cannot understand how Cree dialect 
should have been used as far east as Missisquoi. If 
the word is of Cree origin, its etymology would be as 
follows : Mishi — big, and Ishkew — woman ; so that the 
word would mean big ivoman. This, however, seems 
neither an appropriate nor a probable derivation, and 
the following seems to me greatly to be preferred, 
namely, treating the word as of Abenakis origin, which 
would give it the meaning of much water-fowl. This 
latter derivation is what Mr. Taylor gives. He says 
the name has been given to both the north and south 
branches of the river. The first starts from a small 
lake or pond at Eastman village, and the south branch 
comes in from Vermont. These join at Mansonville 
Station, in Potton, P. Q., and the bay on Lake Cham- 
plain, into which the river empties, also bears the name 
of Missisquoi. The representatives of the earliest 
families state that the wild ducks and wild geese were 
very abundant. The word has been spelled Missisco 
and Missiskoui. Do you not think that this latter 



70 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

derivation is at least a probable one! I have been 
able to obtain nothing further in connection with the 
word. 

I remain, dear sir, 

Faithfully yours, 

C. H. GrOULD, 

University Librarian. 
The Honoeable 

THE PeOVINCIAL TbEASUEEE, 

Quebec, P. Q. 

Smithsonian Institution. 
Bureau of American Ethnology. 

Washington, D. C, April 15, 1905. 

Dear Sir: Your letter of April 13, making inquiries 
regarding the Indian term Missisquoi, is at hand. 
Without knowing the history of the term, it is impossi- 
ble to give a full and satisfactory definition; but it is 
an Algonquin word, and, as it stands, would seem to 
be made up of the two elements, missi, " great, large, 
much," and assisku, "mud, soft clay." The first part 
of the word corresponds to the first syllables in our 
two words, Mississippi and Missouri. The second 
part corresponds more closely to the second part of 
the word Missouri, which signifies turbid; the second 
part of the word Missisquoi signifying, however, 
simply soft clay or mud. 

Very truly yours, 

W. H. Holmes, 
Chief. 
Me. G-. Alfeed Mobeis, 
Teeasueee's Office, 
Quebec, Canada. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 71 

Quebec, P. Q., April 18th, 1905. 
Dear Sir: I beg to acknowledge receipt of your es- 
teemed favor of the 15th inst. giving me your defini- 
tion of the Indian word "Missisquoi," and to heartily 
thank you on behalf of the Hon. Mr. McCorkill for 
your courteous and prompt attention to my request 
for information on this subject. 
I have the honor to be, sir, 

Your obedient servant, 
G-. Alfbed Moeeis, 

Private Secretary. 
W. H. Holmes, Esq., 

Smithsonian Institution, 

Bueeau of Ameeican Ethnology, 
Washington, D. C, U.S.A. 

Quebec, July 11th, 1905. 
Rev. L. S. Geangee, S. J., 
Caughnawaga, P. Q. 
Rev. and dear Sir: I have received your name indi- 
rectly through Mr. Tancred Rinfret of Quebec, as 
being one who would likely be able to give me some 
information on the subject of the etymology of the 
word "Missisquoi," the name of one of the counties 
comprising the Eastern Townships. Any informa- 
tion you can give me will be greatly appreciated. 

Thanking you in anticipation of a reply, on behalf 
of my Minister, the Hon. Mr. McCorkill, Provincial 
Treasurer, I have the honor to be, reverend and dear 
sir, 

Your obedient servant, 

Gr. Alfeed Moeeis, 
Private Secretary. 



72 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

Kanawake, P. Q., July 13, 1905. 

Me. Alfred Morris, 

Seceetaey of the Bueeau of the 
Provincial Teeasueee. 

Sir: I regret very much not to be able to give you 
any definite information in regard to the word Missis- 
quoi. As yet, I have studied only the Iroquois lan- 
guage, and, judging by the spelling, this word does 
not seem to be Iroquois. That is all that I can say. 

In changing the manner of writing Indian words to 
their way, the whites have caused much difficulty. To 
cite only one example : In the word 6 1 Caughnawaga, ' ' 
how now to recognize the Iroquois word "Kanawake," 
which means "by the rapids." 

The Parliament at Ottawa have decided to print on 
the new cards "Kanawake" instead of Caughnawaga, 
a word coined by the Bostonians. 

Hoping that this example will illustrate, please 
accept my respectful salutations. 

Your most devoted servant, 

L. S. Granger, S. J. 

Caughnawaga, July 15, 1905. 
G. Alfred Morris, Secretary. 

Dear Sir: I received your favor of the 11th current. 
As it stands, "Missisquoi" is not an Iroquoian word, 
but an old Indian, to whom I mentioned it, said that 
it is an Algonquin word — "Tsisquoi" — stop. When 
I was among the Crees, I used to say often : ' ' Tsisquoi ! 
tsisquoi!" "Stop! stop!" he said. 

The Iroquois have no "m" in their language, but 
Algonquins have it. So 1 1 Missisquoi ' ' may be of their 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 73 

tongue. I confess that I am not competent to judge 
of that. Respectfully yours, 

Akt. Melancon, S. J. 

Hoping at last to get information that would tend 
to harmonize the many conflicting intrepretations and 
explanations given, and which seemed to multiply and 
mystify as my investigations proceeded, I next ad- 
dressed the following letter to the editor of the Amer- 
ican Anthropologist: 

Worcester Mass., July 24, 1905. 

Editor American Anthropologist, 
Washington, D. C. 

Bear Sir: I am very desirous to learn the origin 
and signification of the Indian place name now spelled 
Missisquoi, but which has undergone many orthograph- 
ical changes, some of the earlier forms being Michis- 
coui, Missiskuoos, Missiskoue, Missesco, etc. This is 
the name of a river in northern Vermont, and of a bay 
on the northern end of Lake Champlain which extends 
into the Province of Quebec. 

Authorities, living and dead, differ much as to its 
origin and signification. I am very anxious to have 
the matter authoritatively and definitely determined, 
and I appeal to you for assistance. Will you not 
kindly render me this service or put me in communi- 
cation with some one who will? I will gladly make 
compensation for such service. 

Craving pardon for this trespass upon your valua- 
ble time, and thanking you in advance for the courtesy 
of your consideration and aid, I am, 

Very respectfully yours, 

GrEORGE McAlEER. 



74 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

To which I received the following reply : 

New York, N. Y., July 26, 1905. 

Dear Sir: Your favor directed to Washington and 
kindly remailed to me by the editor of the American 
Anthropologist, is just received. I have never taken 
any interest in the study of Indian onomatology, since 
it is very unsatisfactory. 

The Jesuit missionaries say that the word Missis- 
quoi is a corruption of Cree Mis iskew (pronounced 
Miss-is-kway-oo), "big woman," but I have seen no 
reason given for its application. 

The spelling Missisquoi is French, and formerly in 
that language oi was pronounced like the present 
French close e, and perhaps may be so still in Canada. 
If the above explanation is correct, the word would be 
from Mis, '"large," "big," "great," and Iskewe, 

woman. ' ' y ery tmly yourg? 

W. R. Gerard. 
Dr. George McAleer. 

I next addressed the following letter to the Statisti- 
cal Department of the Government of the Dominion of 
Canada : 

Worcester, Mass., August 28, 1905. 

Mr. George Johnson, Statistician, 
Department of Agriculture, 
Ottawa, Ont. 
Dear Sir: If the following information can be sup- 
plied by your office, I shall esteem it a very great favor 
to be put in possession of the same. 

In what year was the County of Missisquoi, one of 
the counties constituting the Eastern Township, so 






Etymology of Missisquoi. 75 

called, in the Province of Quebec, surveyed and estab- 
lished as a county? 

What event or events led up to its survey and estab- 
lishment? i. e., was it surveyed and established by the 
government with a view to its disposal as farms to 
colonists and settlers, as a whole to an association or 
corporation of land speculators, or as a benefaction or 
benefactions for military service? Who bestowed the 
name Missisquoi thereon! Why was this name se- 
lected ? Who or what body of men officially sanctioned 
its use? 

Craving your indulgence for this trespass upon your 
valuable time, and thanking you in advance for the 
courtesy of your consideration and aid, I am, 
Yours most respectfully, 

GrEORGE McAlEER. 

To which I received the following reply: 

Dominion of Canada. 

Statistical Branch, 

Department of Agriculture. 

Ottawa, 30th August, 1905. 

George McAleer, Esq., M.D., 
Worcester, Mass. 

Bear Sir: In answer to yours of the 28th inst., I have 
to say: 1st. The County of Missisquoi appears first 
in the census of 1827. It does not appear in that of 
1825. In this last mentioned census (1825) Bedford 
is given with a population of 29,735. In the census of 
1827, Bedford disappears and Missisquoi appears 
with a population of 7,766. 

There was evidently a redistribution of that part of 



76 Etymology op Missisquoi. 

the Eastern Townships about 1826, for census and 
other purposes. 

By Chap. 73, 9 George IV (1828- '29), the boundaries 
of electoral divisions were set forth and Missisquoi 
(spelled Missiskoui), it was then decreed, "should con- 
sist of the township of Sutton, the Seigniory of St. 
Armand, and the townships of Dunham and Stan- 
bridge. ' ' 

2d. I have the following note on the second point 
mentioned in your letter. At the epoch of the cession 
of Canada to the English Sovereign, the greater part 
of the region now called the "Eastern Townships " 
was the property of the Crown, the grants made by 
the French King, having been limited, for the most 
part to the seigniories along the river St. Lawrence 
and the principal tributaries. 

The British administration undertook, at the begin- 
ning of its regime, the colonization of the wild lands. 
Its attention was early directed to the solitudes, which, 
cleared and settled, now form the Province of Ontario, 
where the virgin forests were surveyed and divided 
into regular portions under the name of townships 
after the mode adopted in the neighboring states. 

Later on, the same surveyors were directed to the 
"Bois Franc " country, and by 1792 the first official 
surveys were completed in the wilds situated between 
the seigniories on the river bank and the boundary 
line, and called "townships in the east," as the first 
were "townships in the west." The first grant was 
made by Lord Dorchester in 1796, that of 40,895 acres 
in Dunham township, to Thomas Dunn. 

Thomas Dunn was a speculator and he and others 
secured large areas which, later on, led to much dis- 
pute, the causes of which you will find set forth in 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 77 

appendix No. 2, W. to K. K., Journals of Canada, Vol. 
X, 1851. 

3d. Who bestowed the name Missisquoi, or as 
spelled in the Statute of IX, George IV, Missiskoui? 

There has been considerable controversy over this. 
I am assured by competent authorities that it is neither 
an Algonquin, a Huron nor an Iroquois word. 

If that is so, then it must be an Abenakis word, like 
Megantic, Memphremagog and one or two others. If 
Abenakis, it must have been given by one of the 
Abenakis tribe of savages pushed back from the At- 
lantic shore by the English settlements of Massachu- 
etts, etc., and forced by the policy of the New Engend- 
ers to form alliance with the French. 

An Abenakis word, compounded, would, like the 
other Indian tribal place-names, have Missi, to mean 
"big," "large," but big what? In the case of Missis- 
quoi, my friend, Eev. E. Taylor of Knowlton, writing 
to me only a week or ten days ago, thinks quoi comes 
from quequecum, which means duck, so Missisquoi 
would mean "much duck." 

Others think they see in quoi, or rather squoi, a re- 
semblance to the Indian word from which we take the 
word squaw. Hence that Missisquoi means "big 
woman. ' ' 

My own view is that the Abenakis first found lodg- 
ment along the banks of the river, which being full of 
large rocks or boulders, they called Missisquoi because 
of the number and size of the rocks in the river bed. 
The name was later on transferred to the bay, and 
thence naturally to the county when it was created. 

Trusting that the above will be of service, I am, 
Yours very truly, 

George Johnson, 

Statistician. 



78 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

Judge Grirouard's article was next received and is 
herewith reproduced: 

The Etymology of the Word Missisquoi. 

(Translated from "Le Bulletin des Becherckes Historiques. " ) 

When in 1903 I announced in the preface of my 
' ' Supplement to Lake St. Louis ' ' that I was withdraw- 
ing from the field of historical research — and I may 
explain here that it was in order to devote myself ex- 
clusively to the preparation of my ever-increasing 
judicial work — I was far from foreseeing that I would 
so soon return to it, in an attempt to discover the 
origin of an Indian name, practically insignificant, but 
which seems, however, to have excited the interest of 
the antiquaries on the other side of the frontier for 
many months. I could not resist the pleasure of ren- 
dering a service to an enquirer of Worcester, Mass., 
who asked me the etymology of the word Missisquoi, 
a name given to a little river in the northern part of 
the State of Vermont, to a bay of Lake Champlain, 
and to a county in the Province of Quebec. Everyone 
knows that it is Indian, like the origin of the names, 
which have been preserved, of many rivers, lakes and 
localities, for there is no doubt but that the indigenous 
races had a geography of their own, in fact, it is 
probable that each nation had its own, going back to 
an antiquity more or less remote. Now that the lan- 
guages of the Indian tribes are dying out, slowly, it is 
true, but nevertheless surely — the Hurons being a 
striking example, as we shall soon see — the unpub- 
lished dictionaries (French-Indian and vice-versa) of 
the old missionaries, among others that of Father 
Auberi, S. J., missionary of the Abenaquis of Saint 




FRENCH 

GRANTS OF 

LAND 

ON 

LAKE 
CHAMPLAIN 



A 


Contrecour 


B 


de la Periere 


C 


de Beauvois 


D 


Lusignan 


E 


Daine 


F 


Bleury 


G 


Sabervois 


H 


de Noyau 


1 


Focault 


K 


Lafontaine 


L 


Contrecour 


M 


St. Vincent 


N 


La Gauchetiere 





Pean 


P 


Beaujeu 


Q 


La Ronde 


R 


de Lery 


8 


Longueil 


T 


Mrs. Hertelle 


U 


Robert 


X 


Fort St. Jean 


Y 


Fort St. Therese 



4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

H 
15 



RIVERS 
Aux Loutres 
Boquette 
Ouinousqui 
Au Sable 
a la Mouelle 
St. Amant 
Chazy 
a la Cole 
duSud 
Brochette 
du Rocher 
Michiscouy 



16 Point a 1' Algonquin 



Reproduced from 

SIEUR AUGER'S MAP 

Made in 1722. 



Engraved expressly for 

THE ETYMOLOGY OF MISSISQUOI 

By George McAleer, M.D. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 79 

Frangois du Lac from 1708 to 1755, and other similar 
ones of the missionaries of different tribes, are of great 
vahie from an historical point of view, and before long 
they will be indispensable. The Canadian pnblic has 
always been so indifferent with regard to the aborigi- 
nes of this country, that Father Bnrtin, the missionary 
of Sault Saint Louis, an expert in Indian languages, 
could not find a printer for his history of the Indians 
of his mission — a mission so closely connected with 
that of Montreal ; he has told me of this himself. The 
Department of Archives really should buy these pre- 
cious manuscripts. 

From what nation does the name Missisquoi come? 
To what dialect does it belong? 

In order to facilitate the solution of the problem, I 
first searched for the different authentic spellings of 
the name. The archives and the old maps reproduced 
by Justin Winsor and Faillon, — among others a map of 
1660 (3 Faillon, 124) which shows plainly Lake 
Champlain, and its actual name, — make no mention of 
Missisquoi Bay, although it is clearly traced thereon. 
The oldest document that speaks of it is the concession 
made on the 6th of April, 1733, to the Sieur de Lusig- 
nan of a seigniory at Missiskouy Bay (la Baie de Mis- 
siskouy), (Titres Seigneuriaux, t. ler, p. 164). The 
name, however, must have been known by the French 
long before this. Another official document, written 
in the English language, reproduced verbatim by Mr. 
John P. Noyes, K. C, president of the Historical So- 
ciety of the County of Missisquoi, in his interesting 
study on the "Early Settlers in the District of Bed- 
ford," pages 15 and 16, mentions Missisquie Bay. In 
1815, Bouchette, in the "Topographical Description 
of Lower Canada," pages 185 to 190, spells it Missis- 



80 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

qui Bay. This was the English pronunciation of the 
old name Missiskouy. Furthermore, in the old Revised 
Statutes of Lower Canada, of 1845, there may be found 
a law fixing the limits of the electoral divisions of 
Lower Canada, passed in 1828 (9 Geo. IV, c. 73), where 
the County of Missiskoui is described. Finally, in 
1853, at the time of the division of Lower Canada into 
districts, it may be observed that the orthography was 
changed, and the Legislature, for the first time, I think, 
adopted the spelling which has been invariably used 
since, namely, Missisquoi. This is sanctioned by the 
Consolidated Statutes of Lower Canada of 1860, the 
British North America Act, 1867, and all the diction- 
aries, maps and books of modern geography. Evi- 
dently they adopted a French spelling, which agrees 
perhaps better with the euphony of the word. 

But what is the meaning of the name? Being a 
stranger to Indian dialects, I made inquiries of the mis- 
sionaries" of the different tribes of the Province, and of 
the antiquaries of the district, and it will be seen that it 
was not an easy task to reach a satisfactory solution. 
I asked of them all the origin of the name Missisquoi 
or Missiskouy. My first reply was from Mr. John P. 
Noyes of Cowansville. It is dated the 23d of May, 
1905. I will quote it word for word : 

"I am unable to give an absolutely definite answer 
to your query as to the origin and meaning of 'Mis- 
sisquoi.' I have been trying for some time to run it 
to earth, and have pretty well satisfied myself, but in 
such matters one must have an open mind. When one 
has to rely largely on tradition, there is always an 
element of doubt, even in the best considered theory. 

"The definitions given allege Indian origin, but 
Indian is an indefinite term. One wants to know the 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 81 

particular dialect and tribal peculiarities. The local- 
ity of Missisquoi Bay, from which the county is named, 
was frequented by the Iroquois and Algonquins, and 
possibly by the Hurons, and must have been christened 
something by them. I am told that the first syllable 
of Mississippi and Missouri rivers — Indian names — 
means water, and if true helps my belief as to the name 
of Missisquoi. 

' ' The definitions, so far as I know, are two — at least 
those advocated in print: 1. An Indian name mean- 
ing 'much water-fowl.' 2. An Indian name meaning 
'old squaw.' I accept the first, 'much water-fowl.' 

"Missisquoi Bay, from the earliest days, was, and is, 
famous for the large quantity and variety of its water- 
fowl, being on the highway of the migratory fowls 
between our north and their southern winter home. 
Its sheltered waters make a safe, natural resting place. 
Indian names are largely adopted from their habits 
as to eating and war. Missisquoi Bay was a place to 
which they resorted to hunt and fish, according to tra- 
dition. It seems quite natural, and according to Indian 
traits, that the name 'much water-fowl' should have 
been given to a place where game was so abundant. 
The early settlers relate that the flocks of fowl at cer- 
tain seasons near the bay were so large and dense that 
the sun would be obscured during their flight as though 
darkened by a cloud. There were no natural marks 
about the bay of such distinctive character as to sug- 
gest a name. In addition to the foregoing, a very old 
man of the county wrote in a local paper some years 
ago that he was taught some sixty years before that 
'Missisquoi' was an Indian name meaning 'much 
water-fowl." Thus we have tradition, presumptions 
and Indian traits in accord. 



82 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

"To the definition 'old squaw,' I attach no impor- 
tance. I can find neither tradition nor circumstance 
for its support. It may have been inferred from a 
broad pronunciation, Misses-Squaw — misses being the 
ordinary country name for mistress or madam, and 
therefore presumedly old. It could just as well mean 
miss or young squaw. But the spelling of to-day is 
not that of the old time. Three-quarters of a century 
ago, and before, and even for some time after, it was 
spelled 'Missiskoui.' Papers in the Dominion archives 
show that in 1785 it was spelled ' Missisquie. ' It is 
only about half a century since the present name 
received a statutory endorsement. I have no access 
to the archives, nor anything else, to show what Mis- 
sisquoi Bay was called during the French regime. 
Being on the war route between the St. Lawrence and 
the New England settlements, it must have had a dis- 
tinctive name. 

"I have hoped many times that a query like yours 
would be sent to that excellent publication, the 'Bul- 
letin des Recherches Historiques.' I did not dare to 
put my feeble French on record in a periodical sub- 
mitted to so many scholarly eyes." 

And recently, in the News, published in St. 
John, P. Q., of the 23d of June, 1905, Mr. Noyes, under 
the pen name of "Wayside "Warbler," adds: 

"There is an old text-book recently placed in my 
hands which tells a story of its own. It was printed 
in the Eastern Townships, in its youthful days, as a 
text-book for the English schools of the Province, and 
its cover bears the title, 'Geography and History of 
Lower Canada, Designed for the Use of Schools, by 
Zadok Thompson, A.M., late Preceptor of Charleston 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 83 

(Hatley) Academy, Stanstead and Sherbrooke, L. C, 
Published by Walton & Gaylord, 1835.' ... In that 
geography the County of Missisquoi is called Missisko, 
as to which I find the following footnote touching upon 
a still debatable matter : ' The orthography of this word 
is very unsettled. It has been written Missisquoi, Mis- 
sisqui, Missique, Missiskoui and Missisco; but it is, I 
believe, pretty uniformly pronounced as if written 
Missisco, and this I consider the preferable way of 
spelling it, because it is most easily pronounced, is 
shorter and most conformable to the original, if, as 
has been said, the name is derived from the two Indian 
words, Missi — much, and Kisko — water-fowl. The 
name Missiskisko is said to have been given by the 
natives to the bay and river on account of the abun- 
dance of water-fowl in and about there, and Missi- 
kisko was at length shortened to Missisco. It after- 
wards became the name of a county.' The meaning 
of the name, adds Mr. Noyes, given by him is also 
borne out by the traditions of the inhabitants.' ' 

Next, Mr. Ernest Eacicot, K. C, of Sweetsburg, 
another enthusiastic delver into the past, wrote to me 
the same day: 

"From what I have often heard, the word Missisquoi 
means 'much water-fowl.' Even to-day the wild geese 
and ducks — while migrating from south to north in 
the spring, and from north to south in the autumn — 
make a stop at Missisquoi Bay, where hunters gather 
to wait for them. Formerly when the surroundings 
of the bay were wooded, and were only frequented now 
and again by Indians, these birds must have gone 
there, and stayed there during their voyage, in much 
greater numbers. I have reason to believe that 'mis' 



84 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

or ' missis' means 'water/ as in Mississippi and Mis- 
souri. The syllable 'quoi' (which has been written in 
many ways, as 'koi,' 'kow,' 'quoi,' etc.) resembles 
'quoi' of the name Iroqnois. All this is Indian. It is 
probable that before the arrival of the French at the 
beginning of the seventeenth century, all the lake (now 
Champlain), south of the bay, must have had an Indian 
name, probably Missisquoi, or some name like it. The 
name of this country must come from the old name of 
the bay." 

On the other hand, an old missionary of Sault Saint 
Louis, who is familiar with the Iroquois tongue, has 
written me that the name is not of Iroquois origin, 
and that he believes it to be Algonquin. 

Another missionary who has been with the Algonquins 
of Oka for a great number of years, replied to me that 
Missisquoi ('read it,' he remarked, 'Missiskaw,' by 
reason of its etymology') is not Algonquin. 

"In Algonquin," he said, "the root word 'Mis' 
means big, great, enormous. Mis-abe, a big man, a 
giant; Mis-abos, a big hare, an ass, because of its ears ; 
Misisipi, big river, Mississippi (Chateaubriand writes 
it 'Meschacebe' and translates 'Father of the Waters,' 
wherein he is mistaken). The Indians inhabiting the 
banks of the Ottawa used to call it 'Kissisipi,' the 
Grand Eiver, one which receives many tributaries. 
Not far from Ottawa we find the little ' Missisipins, ' as 
we find 'La Belle Riviere,' Ohio, in Iroquois. 

"What does the second syllable of Missi-skaw mean! 
Should one see the word squaw, woman, preserved 
there in English, and draw conclusions that there was 
at some time some extraordinary woman at Missis- 
quoi? Who will tell us! I dare not pause at this 
hypothesis." 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 85 

I then turned to the missionary of the Hurons of 
Lorette, near Quebec, who quickly informed me that 
his Hurons had completely forgotten their language 
and only spoke French, but he referred me to a priest, 
born a Huron, who lived at Mastai, near Quebec. This 
latter answered that the word was not Huron. With- 
out losing courage, I then sought information from 
Father de Gonzague, missionary of the Abenakis at St. 
Thomas de Pierreville. Their village is not very far 
from the bay in question. Here is what he wrote : 

' ' The origin of the word Missisquoi is ' Masipskoik, ' 
a word that means a place where there are boulders, 
more especiallv 'Pointe de caillous'' (' Boulders 
Point'). 

"We have enquired among our old Abenakis, and 
they all agree upon this interpretation as a thing 
known among them for a long time." 

Mr. Noyes, to whom I communicated this interpre- 
tation, is not at all convinced that it is correct, and he 
prefers the one which he has adopted — "much water- 
fowl. ' ' " Still, ' ' says he, "I have an open mind. ' ' He 
adds that there are no boulders about the bay, but that 
quarries, which were worked for construction pur- 
poses in Montreal, are to be found up to the water's 
edge. Finally, however, he admits that the Missisquoi 
Eiver is full of boulders, rapids and falls. 

This fact seems to me to settle the question. It is 
the river which has given its name to the bay and to 
the county. So one more tradition is exploded, like so 
many others, for example, the one that stated that 
La Salle had built a stone fort at Lachine, whose ruins 
could yet be seen. Moreover, the tradition of seventy- 
five years, maintained by Mr. Noyes, is far from being 



86 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

an ancient one, and, therefore, qnite insufficient to 
explain a name that goes back nearly two centuries. 
Finally it is disposed of by reason of what we know 
of the Indian languages. ^ p 



Etymology of the Name Missisquoi. 
(Second Article.) 

(Translated from "Le Bulletin des Becherches Historiques.") 

Since my first article was published in he Bulletin, 
I have received a long and interesting letter in French 
from Mr. Joseph Laurent, a former chief of the Abena- 
kis of St. Frangois, near St. Thomas de Pierreville, 
from which I take the following passage, which I 
believe is sufficient for the purpose: 

a j regret exceedingly that your letter of June 14th 
last, in reference to the name 'Missisquoi,' has been so 
long unanswered, but it is due to my absence in the 
White Mountains, N. H., for nearly five months. But, 
as we generally say, 'better late than never.' 

1 < In giving you the meaning asked of the name ' Mis- 
sisquoi,' I fear you will not be more satisfied than I 
am myself about a word spelt in so many different 
ways, 'Missiquoi' and 'Missiquoy,' according to your 
letter 1 , and 'Messisco,' 'Messisquoi' and 'Missis 
quoy' and 'Missiscoug' according to Dr. George Mc- 
Aleer's 2 letter from Worcester, dated 25th Septem- 
ber last. 

"In fact, this makes six different ways of spelling, 
adding my own way, 'Messipskoik' — as that name was 



1 My letter said 7c and not q, in the last word. 

2 The American enquirer referred to in my first article. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 87 

used over sixty years ago, and whose syllables were 
'Mes-sips-ko-ik' — all distinctly pronounced, the first 5 
in Mes like all the others, for in our language all the 
letters are sounded, that is, none are used without a 
reason. 

"According to the modern language of the Abenakis, 
we call that place Mas-sips-ko-ik, Massipskoik, which 
we pronounce Mas-seps-ko-wik, meaning where flint is 
to be found (Mr. Laurent using the English language). 

"I have never been there, but I am told that flint is 
always to be found at the said place. ' n 

On the 14th December, instant, Chief Laurent writes 
me again what he calls his last word. He points out 
what he stated in his previous letter, that the Abenakis 
language has undergone so many modifications within 
the last century that it is almost impossible to give 
the meaning of names now known to be of Abenakis 
origin. He concludes by stating that the word "Mas- 
sipskouik," meaning where flint is to be found, is very 
much like "Massapskouik," "Massapskouikak," mean- 
ing where boulders or big stones, de grandes pierres, 
exist, thus leaving the origin and meaning in doubt. 

Finally, on the 19th December, I received from Mr. 
Laurent a little vocabulary composed and published 
by him in 1884 (printed by Brousseau of Quebec), the 
title being "New Familiar Abenakis and English Dia- 
logues." No special reference or mark is made, but 
on perusing it, I found at page 216, under the heading 
of "Etymology of Indian Names by which are desig- 
nated certain tribes, towns, rivers, lakes," etc., the fol- 
lowing illustration: "Missisquoi comes from Masips- 
koik (Abenakis), where there is flint." 



1 1 am informed by Dr. McAleer that no flint exists at that place. 



88 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

Chief Laurent agrees with Father de Gonzague that 
the etymology of the word " Missisquoi" is Abenakis. 
This result is not surprising when it is remembered 
that all the Indians of the New England provinces 1 , 
now nearly extinct, spoke the Abenakis idiom, which 
was common to all, except the Micmacs 2 . The Indi- 
ans gave names to a large number of localities, rivers, 
lakes, mountains, villages, lands, settlements and coun- 
tries, which are indicated partly by him and have been 
preserved to the present day, although in most in- 
stances more or less disfigured. The word Missisquoi 
is one of them, although, according to Chief Laurent 
in his first letter, it means nothing in Abenakis, prob- 
ably for the reason that it is Frenchified and that the 
"q" is unknown in that idiom and is always replaced 
by "k," says Abbe Maurault, page 11. In the grant 
made to Mr. de Lusignan in 1733, Missisquoi is spelled 
with a "k" and not a "q." In the ratification of the 
same by the King in 1735, it is likewise spelled (Can. 
Ar., 1904, p. 218). We are told by both Mr. de Gonza- 
gue and Mr. Laurent that the bay in question is now 
known to the Abenakis Indians by the name of "Mas- 
sipskoik," and some sixty years ago by that of "Mes- 
sipskoik," which means " where flint (pierre a fusil) 
is to be found," and possibly at one time "Massaps- 
kouik" or "Massapskuikak," where boulders or large 
stones exist. The meaning of the word sixty years 
ago varies a little from that of Father de Gonzague; 



1 An old map of Canada, published by P. de Kochemonteix, S. J., 
in Vol. I of Les Jesuites en la Nouvelle France, shows a vast country, 
situated to the southeast of Lake Champlain, as being that of the 
Abenakis. 

2 Hist. des Abenakis, 1866, by Abbe Maurault, one of their mis- 
sionaries for over thirty years, at pages 6, 9, 10. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 89 

but it is admitted by both that it refers to some kind 
of stone and not to "water-fowl/' and that possibly 
it meant boulders or large stones. Mr. de G-onzague, 
in reply to a query from me, has just answered that in 
his former letter published, he merely expressed the 
opinion of the most competent Indians then in the 
village. Mr. de Gonzague admits that he does not con- 
sider himself as being acquainted with their language, 
although it is known that he has been their missionary 
for many years and is Abenakis by birth. At the time 
of Mr. Maurault, 1840-1871, the religious service and 
instruction were conducted in the Indian tongue. For 
that reason many old Indians are living who well 
understand the dialect. Mr. Laurent remarks in his 
last letter that the Indian tongue is yet the prevailing 
language of the tribe, although familiar with both 
French and English. Mr. de G-onzague adds that he 
has no doubt that the spelling and interpretation given 
by Mr. Laurent are correct. He looks upon him 
as a reliable authority, familiar with the dialect 
and its history, and judging from his letters and book 
he knows what he is talking about. It is evident, 
however, that he has a predilection for the definition 
in his book. Taking the conclusion arrived at by the 
old chief, the French, naturally struck by the sound of 
the word "Messipskoik" or " Massapskouik, ' ' soon 
made "Missiskouy," "Missiskoui" and finally " Mis- 
sisquoi," probably not troubling themselves about its 
meaning 1 . It was natural that they should take the 
name from these Indians who, under various names, 



1 As early as in 1739, the President of the French Navy Board 
writes "Missisquoi" Biver, where the Abenakis were then thinking of 
moving to.— Can. Ar., 1904, p. 260. 



90 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

were to be found dispersed here and there throughout 
the New England colonies as early as the beginning of 
the seventeenth century, and after long years of wars 
with the English, and being very much reduced in 
numbers, ultimately took refuge in Canada, first at 
Sillery and St. Francois de la Eiviere Chaudiere near 
Quebec, and finally, about 1680, at Becancourt and St. 
Francois near Lake St. Peter and Pierreville of to- 
day. Les Jesuites en la Nouvelle France, Vol. Ill, p. 
377, and following by Eochemonteix : Relation par 
lettres, id. p. 211 ; Maurault, p. 287 1 . 

It may not be without interest to note that the 
learned Abbe Maurault asserts that Coaticook, Mem- 
phremagog and Megantic, situated in close proximity 
to Missisquoi Bay, are also of Abenakis origin, de- 
rived from the words "Koakitek," river of the land 
of pines, " Mamhrobagak, ' ' large expanse of water, 
and " Namesokanjik, " where fishes stay. Mr. Lau- 
rent, in his letter and his book, does not spell these 
Indian names like Abbe Maurault, but both — and Mr. 
de Gonzague agrees with them — tell us that the Abena- 
kis spoken at the time of Father Aubery, S. J., 1712, 
had undergone numerous alterations and modifica- 
tions borrowed from the English and French lan- 
guages and other sources. Abbe Maurault adds that 
he finds only the three above names on the map of 
Canada as being of Abenakis etymology. Mr. Lau- 
rent, in his book, quotes six or seven others. It seems 
to me clear that our ancestors, both French and Eng- 



1 The Abenakis of St. Frangois number 374 souls, and those of 
Becancourt 49. Two small bands of 19 and 23' souls are also to be 
found in the counties of Quebec and Charlevoix. — Bulletin, VII, pp. 
135, 136, 138. In 1700, Becancourt and St. Frangois had a population 
of 1500. — Eochemonteix, Eelation, p. 211. 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 91 

lish, must have felt little difficulty in making "Mis- 
siskouy," "Missisquie" and "Missisquoi" out of the 
Abenakis word "Messipskoik," "Massapskouik" or 
"Masipskoik." 

The admission of Chief Laurent that possibly the 
Abenakis word meaning where boulders, or de grandes 
pierres, are to be found, is the true origin of the name 
Missisquoi, and the fact that there is no flint, but a 
large quantity of boulders and stone quarries in the 
locality, seems to me to be conclusive that that word 
and that meaning is the true one, as contended in my 
first article. -^ n 

i). (xIROUAKD. 

Ottawa, 30th December, 1905. 

Hoping to get further information on new matter 
which I discovered in my investigations, and which I 
think has a bearing upon the subject under considera- 
tion, I sent the following letter: 

Worcester, Mass., December 18, 1905. 
Chief Joseph Laurent, 

PlERREVILLE, P. Q. 

My dear Chief: I hasten to express my appreciation 
and thanks for your letter of December 13th, which 
came duly to hand. The same mail also brought me 
a letter from Judge Grirouard, on the same subject, 
containing data obtained from Father G-onzague and 
yourself. 

It is so long since the name now spelled Missisquoi 
was bestowed upon the river in Vermont and the bay 
on the northern end of Lake Champlain in Canada, 
and the Abenakis dialect has meanwhile become so 
modified by amalgamation with the French and Eng- 



92 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

lish languages, that at this distant day the attempt to 
discover the correct etymology of the word may prove 
a fruitless task. Nevertheless, the information con- 
tained in your letter encourages the belief that some- 
thing more definite and reasonable — more conclusive 
because more in harmony with Indian custom — may 
yet be brought to light than anything so far discov- 
ered or offered in explanation of the origin and mean- 
ing of the word. 

Pursuing my investigations since writing to you, I 
have found in the Documentary History of New York, 
published by the State, Albany, 1850, data relating to 
your ancestors and possibly to the subject now under 
consideration, extracts from which I transcribe and 
transmit herewith for your consideration and com- 
ments thereon. 

In Vol. I, page 18, it is recorded: 

"In the enumeration of the Indian tribes connected 
with the Government of Canada; the warriors and 
armorial bearings of each nation, A. D. 1736. Paris, 
Document VIII: 
The Abenaquis, one village called Pana8amsket, 

toward the mouth of said river — warriors, 200 
The 8benakis at the head of said river, one village 

called Narentch8an — warriors, 150 

Becancour, the Abenakis, one village — warriors, 60 
The 8benakis at St. Francis Village — warriors, 180 

Including those of Michikoui and those who 

migrate. 
At the Lake of the Two Mountains — The Messissin- 

gues. 

A part of this tribe is incorporated with the 

Iroquois. The remainder has its village at the 

lake of the same name. There are here fifty men 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 93 

bearing arms. The armorial bearings of this 
nation are the Heron for the Achaque, or Heron 
tribe; the Beaver for the Amekoves; the Birch 
for the Birch tribe (la famille de I'Ecorce) ; 
Blood for the Miskonaha or the bloody people." 

Now, it is well known that in the bestowal of place 
names the Indians were a very matter-of-fact people, 
the vainglorious, the hap-hazard, the whimsical, or 
the ideal never being factors, and you will notice in 
the above extract that the Indians then at the lake of 
the Two Mountains had the heron — kesco — for their 
totem. May not kesco, combined with the adjectival 
prefix Mse, Misi, Mich, or Michi, be the true origin of 
the word, as herons — cranes of the present day, collo- 
quially — have always abounded in large numbers in 
the sedge and marshes at the mouth of Missisquoi 
Eiver and along the shores of the bay? 

Another portion of these people were designated 
the l ' Miskouaha, ' ' or the " bloody people." Does this 
Miskonaha furnish us with a key to the origin and sig- 
nification of the word? You will observe that these 
words were used in A. D. 1736, in the earliest records 
touching these people, and long before the language 
was modified as it now is by contact with the whites. 
May not these Miskouaha — "bloody people" — have 
been a body of warriors specially selected for their 
bravery and prowess to contend with their inveterate 
enemies, the Maquas, and may not their headquarters 
on the river near the border line dividing them from 
their foes be of sufficient reason for bestowing this 
name on the river and thus be quite in harmony with 
aboriginal custom? 

I note what you say in reference to Mas-seps-ko-wik 
meaning "where flint is to be found," and also that 



94 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

Missisiscoug means "big serpent," "not the ordinary 
big serpent, but the species named ' boa serpent. ' ' ' It 
is true that big rocks or boulders abound in the terri- 
tory about the bay in question, but there is no flint in 
the vicinity of the bay or river, nor are there any large 
"boa" or other venomous serpents thereabouts, nor 
could there have been any in a latitude so far north. 
While these words might signify flint, and "big," 
"large" or "boa" serpents, they would not apply to 
anything true of the place upon which this name was 
bestowed, and they are, therefore, as it seems to me, 
inadmissible as explaining the etymology of the word, 
because they are not in harmony with Indian custom. 

There are numerous rapids and falls in the Missis- 
quoi Eiver, the largest being near the village of Swan- 
ton, Vermont, which was formerly the site of the 
headquarters of the Abenakis, and the noise of these 
falls, I have been told, reminded them of their Sisi- 
quois — pronounced See-se-kwah — their rattles or 
drums, and that calling it the big or great rattle by 
prefixing Mis completes the word and furnishes an 
explanation of its meaning. -What do you think of 
this! 

Have you access to the manuscript dictionary com- 
piled by Pere Aubery, S. J.f Perhaps by going back 
to the ancient orthography his work may throw some 
light upon the origin and signification of this and 
other words that are claimed to have given the river 
its name, and thus aid in solving the perplexing rid- 
dle and establishing the etymology of the word au- 
thoritatively. 

The earliest form of spelling that I have encoun- 
tered in my research is that on Sieur Auger's map, 
made in 1732, where it is spelled Michiscouy, and the 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 95 

next is in a grant of land to Lafontaine in 1733, 
wherein it is spelled Missiskouy, both being practically 
the same in spelling and sonnd. To me it seems well 
to keep the sonnd made by these spellings constantly 
in mind and not be led astray by the many later mod- 
ifications. 

Craving your indulgence and again asking your 
early consideration, valuable aid and early reply, and 
wishing you the compliments of the Christmas season, 
believe me, Yours very sincerely, 

George McAleer. 

Under date of February 10, 1906, I received a very 
lengthy and interesting letter from Chief Laurent in 
reply, much of which is of the same import as that 
supplied to Judge Girouard and published in the 
"Bulletin des Recherches Historiques," a translation 
of which appears in these pages. 

The Chief says in addition: 

"I have consulted Pere Aubery's Abenakis and 
French and the French and English dictionary, and 
I have been unable to find anything at all to help me 
out. I went all through both books, even to see if q 
was used in old times and also to see if c was used 
instead of k, in some instances at least, as we use it 
in both French and English in the name Canada, and 
I am in position to affirm positively that q was not in 
use at ail by Indian scholars and writers, but that it 
was k that always performed the function of c in other 
languages. I also remark that r as used in old times 
is now, and has been for many years back, replaced 
by I. As an illustration: my ancestors would have 
said Arnanba, an Indian, but now say Alnoba. 



96 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

"You see, therefore, by the change that the lan- 
guage has undergone, that it is very difficult to find 
out the meaning of old words, especially when cor- 
rupted by the many misspellings of the whites. 

"If Masipskoik or Massapskoik, both of which mean 
where there are many big rocks or boulders, was not 
the original meaning, Messimskikoik, where there is 
an abundance of tall grass or hay, could possibly be 
the aboriginal name. 

"I wish I could give you the undoubted etymology 
of Missisquoi, but my knowledge and all my searches 
in books do not lead me to any other conclusion but 
this idea: That it means the great grassy place or 
valley, considering the fact, as you say, of abundance 
of all kinds of tall grass and shrubs, which in general 
we call Mskiko-al, grass or hay — no matter what kind 
it is — what we call in French, foin. 

"In order not to mislead you by the words Mskiko 
and Miskiko-al, I will say that the former is the sin- 
gular and the latter the plural of the same word. In 
the Abenakis language all the vowels must be dis- 
tinctly sounded, and, therefore, Messepskoi should be 
pronounced as if it was spelled Messeps-ko-wi, the 
last syllable as if it was spelled we. The more I study 
and consider the various spellings that have been sub- 
mitted to me, the more I am inclined to believe that 
Missisquoi is derived from Messepskoi, which, pre- 
sumably, the whites, omitting the p and not being 
aware that the Abenakis do not use the letter g, they 
used that letter instead of h and thus produced the 
transformation in the orthography of the word. ' ' 

That difficulties have always been encountered by 
the whites in their attempts to master the aboriginal 



Etymology of Missisquoi. 97 

languages and idioms, and to bring linguistic order 
out of chaos, is abundantly proven by the works of 
many writers on Indian philology. Eeverend Jonas 
Michaelius, from New Amsterdam (New York), under 
date of August 11, 1628, wrote to Dom Adrianus 
Smoutius of Amsterdam, Holland, on this subject, as 
follows : 

Their language, which is the first thing to be em- 
ployed with them, methinks is entirely peculiar. Many 
of our common people call it an easy language, which 
is soon learned, but I am of a contrary opinion. 

For those who can understand their words to some 
extent and repeat them, fail greatly in the pronuncia- 
tion and speak a broken language, like the language 
of Ashdod. For these people have difficult aspirates 
and many guttural letters which are formed more in 
the throat than by the mouth, teeth and lips, which our 
people, not being accustomed to, guess at by means of 
their signs, and then imagine that they have accom- 
plished something wonderful. It is true, one can learn 
as much as is sufficient for the purposes of trading, 
but this becomes almost as much by signs with the 
thumb and fingers as by speaking. * * * It also 
seems to us that they rather design to conceal their 
language from us than to properly communicate it, 
except in things which happen in daily trade; saying 
that it is sufficient for us to understand them in those ; 
and then they speak only half their reasons, with 
shortened words, and frequently call a dozen things, 
and even more, by one name; and all things which 
have only a rude resemblance to each other they fre- 
quently call by the same name. 

7 



98 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

In truth, it is a made-up, childish language; so that 
even those who can best of all speak with the Indians 
and get along well in trade, are, nevertheless, wholly 
in the dark and bewildered when they hear the Indi- 
ans speaking with each other by themselves. 

From the dim and distant past of nearly three hun- 
dred years ago, and passing over unnumbered author- 
ities who give similar testimony, we cross the inter- 
vening centuries to an authority of our own day. 
Chief Joseph Laurent of Pierreville, P. Q., Canada, 
who in explaining the etymology of Indian names by 
which are designated certain tribes, towns, rivers, 
lakes, etc., in his "Abenakis and English Dialogues," 
says: 

It would perhaps be well to mention that all these 
names, either in Abenakis, Cree or other tribal lan- 
guages, which now designate so many localities, moun- 
tains, rivers, etc., have been so much disfigured by the 
whites, who, not understanding the meaning of these 
words, pronounced them in the best way they could 
and spelled them accordingly, but in most cases, with 
such incorrectness that they have rendered many of 
them altogether incomprehensible, and thereby impos- 
sible to discover their true signification. 



Briefly summing up the work in hand, it seems fair 
to conclude from the evidence adduced and that de- 
rived from publications during my investigations: 

That the Indians were very literal in the bestowal 
of names, and that it is along the line of some striking 



Etymology of Missisquoi, 99 

peculiarity or physical condition that the reason for 
the bestowal of this name must be sought; 

That the Indian place name that has come down to 
us as Missisquoi was first bestowed upon the river of 
this name in northern Vermont, because of some pecu- 
liar condition existing along its course or at its mouth, 
or striking characteristic of the people in the settle- 
ment upon its banks; 

That it was long years afterwards before it was 
bestowed upon the bay and county now known by this 
name, and that in consequence these must be excluded 
from consideration when seeking the reason for the 
bestowal of this name; 

That the Crees were remote from the Abenaquis, and 
that several tribes whose language was very different, 
lived in the country that separated them; 

That there is no evidence whatever to prove the 
adoption of the words of one tribe by another in prim- 
itive times, and it is against probability; 

That the word for great, big or many women in 
Abenaquis is entirely unlike the word of similar mean- 
ing in the Cree language ; 

That Indian women were never honored in the way 
implied by "big woman, " "great woman," and the 
like; 

That no flint existed or was to be obtained in the 
country beside or near the river; 

That while rocks, boulders and cliffs abound on the 
shore of the bay, they are not in striking evidence 
along the river; 

That while a few small rattlesnakes existed in early 



100 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

times in the territory now known as Vermont, they 
were neither so large nor so abundant as to justify 
the use of the adjectives "great" or "many" — and 
their habitat was in the rocky ledges of the hills and 
mountains and not in the lowlands, valleys and 
marshes ; 

That the Indians had no word to signify the group- 
ing or aggregation of different varieties of the same 
species, as, for instance, a single word for the species 
cervidse — the deer, caribou, elk and moose, nor for the 
anatidae — the ducks, geese, brant and swan — as is im- 
plied in the term "water-fowl," nor was it their cus- 
tom so to do ; and 

That very extensive marshes covered with a rank 
growth of willows, whortleberry bushes (now called 
high-bush blueberries), cat-tail flag, bullrushes and 
coarse grass, exist at and in the vicinity of the mouth 
of the river, and extensive beaver meadows were 
formerly in abundant evidence throughout its whole 
course. 

Looking at the question from this standpoint, does 
not the evidence submitted warrant the conclusion 
that the word Missisquoi is of Abenakis origin, that 
it was bestowed in accordance with Indian custom, and 
signifies "a great grassy place," "a sticky place," — 
a great marshy place! 

This study was undertaken with a receptive and an 
unbiased mind and it is ended without any predilection. 

Should a more exhaustive investigation bring forth 
new facts to warrant a different conclusion, the writer 
will give them glad welcome. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 



Bishop Baraga's Theoretical and Practical Grammar 
of the Otchipwe language — the language spoken 
by the Chippewa Indians. Also Dictionary of the 
Otchipwe language explained in English. Part II. 
Otchipwe-English. 

Bishop Michaud's History of the Catholic Church in 
the Diocese of Burlington; Boston, 1900. 

Chamberlain, Alexander F., Journal of American 
Folk-Lore. 

Documentary History of New York ; Albany, 1850. 

Documents relating to the Colonial History of New 
York; Albany, 1856—. 

Gannett 's Origin of Certain Place Names in the United 
States, 2d Ed. ; Government Printing Office, Wash- 
ington, 1905. 

Garneau's History of Canada, Bell's Translation; 
Montreal, 1860. 

Hemmenway's Vermont Historical Gazetteer; Mont- 
pelier, 1882. 

Jesuit Belations, 73 vols.; Cleveland, 1896. 

Laurent's Abenakis and English Grammar and Dia- 
logues; Quebec, 1884. 

Maurault's Histoire de Abenakis; Sorel, 1866. 

Miles' History of Canada; Montreal, 1872. 



102 Etymology of Missisquoi. 

Pilling 's Bibliography of Iroquoian Languages; Grov- 
ernment Printing Office, Washington, 1888. 

The Differentiation Between the Penobscot and the 
Canadian Abenakis Dialects; American Anthro- 
pologist (N. S.), Vol IV, page 17. 

Thompson's History of Vermont; Burlington, 1842. 

Trumbull's Natick Dictionary; Government Printing 
Office, Washington, 1903. 

Warburton's Conquest of Canada; London, 1849. 

White's Early History of New England; Concord, 
1841. 




LIVING AUTHORITIES CONSULTED 



Page. 

Boyle, David 69 

Doughty, Alfred G 56, 67 

Gerard, W. R 74 

Girouard, Desire 42, 78 

Gonzague, Joseph de 49 

Goodrich, J. E 19 

Gould, 0. H 69 

Granger, L. S 72 

Holmes, W. H 44, 46, 70 

Johnson, George 14, 75 

Jones, William 33 

Laurent, Joseph 95 

McCorkill, J. C 54, 58 

Melancun, Art. 72 

Morris, G. Alfred 60 

Murray, W. H. H 40 

Noyes, John P 63 

Pardoe, Avern 68 

Pattison, Wm. Mead 65 

Prince, J. Dyneley 35, 38 

Racicot, Ernest 83 

Sumner, Samuel 39 

Taylor, Ernest M 77 

Tooker, William Wallace 27, 29, 31 

White, Aubrey 69 



ETYMOLOGIES AND AUTHORITIES 



Page. 

Mach-esk-ak, Missi-assquo-ayeu — great miry place, 

Tooker, 28,30 

Mas-ik-ik-oik — place of great stones, Boulder Point, 

Girouard, 42,85,91 

Messim-ski-koik — abundance of tall grass, Laurent, 96 
Mis-asku-og — great grass place, where great rushes 

grow, Tooker, 30 

Missi-assisku — much mud, much soft clay, Holmes, 70 

Missi-assisquoi — much mud or clay, . Hewitt, 44 

Missi-ikew, or iskwew — large woman, . Hewitt, 44 

Missi-ikwew — the great woman, . Pardoe, 68 

Misi-iskew — big woman, . . . Baraga, 11 

Mishi-ishkew — big woman, • . . . Gould, 70 
Mis-iskew, corruption from Missis-kway-oo — big 

woman (on authority of Jesuit missionaries), 

Gerard, 74 

Mishi-ishkwew — big woman, . . Johnson, 14 

Missi-kisco — much water-fowl, . Thompson, 15 

Missi-kisco — much water-fowl, . . Taylor, 69 

Missi-squoi — large rocks or boulders, . Johnson, 77 
Missi-squois — great miry place, great muddy 

place, . . . . . Tooker, 28 

Missisquois — much water-fowl, . . Noyes, 63 

Misqui — musqua — blood and red, . Doughty, 56, 58 

Missisquois, from Tsisquoi— stop, . Melangon, 73 

Msa-skog — big snake, . . . Prince, 38 

Mse-miskeco — much grass, . . Thompson, 15 

Msi-sisikwa — big rattlesnake, . . Prince, 36, 38 



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